By: The Fatu Network News Desk
The United Democratic Party (UDP) has condemned the decision to deny bail to youths arrested during demonstrations against the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority’s (PURA) decision to impose a floor price on mobile data. The party described the detention of protesters at Mile Two Prison as unjust and politically motivated, demanding their immediate release.
On Monday, August 25th 2025, Magistrate Thomas Touray of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court ordered twenty-three defendants to be remanded at Mile Two Central Prison, declining bail and adjourning the matter to September 4th. The arrests stem from an unauthorised protest linked to PURA’s recent data pricing directive. Police argued the assembly violated the Public Order Act, which requires prior approval from the Inspector General of Police.
The UDP, in its statement, criticised the government for what it described as selective justice, noting that “peaceful youth protesters” were sent to prison while “known drug dealers are granted bail.” The party argued that the demonstrators were only demanding fairness in response to PURA’s “shameful” pricing decision, but instead faced tear gas, arrests, and imprisonment.
According to the statement, the Barrow administration’s actions “negate their assertion of being defenders of citizens’ rights and liberties” and reveal “empty rhetoric and hypocrisy.” The UDP further warned that the government’s handling of the protests risks taking the country “back to the dark days of Yahya Jammeh,” when dissent was silenced and citizens punished for speaking out.
The party’s demands include the immediate release of all arrested protesters, an end to police violence against demonstrators, and the reversal of PURA’s floor price on mobile data, which it described as exploitative and anti-youth.
“The Gambian people will not be silenced,” the statement concluded, calling for accountability and justice for the country’s youth.
