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Posted - 04 Oct 2022 : 20:32:00
Factcheck: President Barrow makes false claims in a VOA interview
Malagen: OCTOBER 4, 2022
Kebba Jeffang
https://malagen.org/factchecking/factcheck-president-barrow-makes-false-claims-in-a-voa-interview/
During his recent travel to the United States of America to attend the United Nations General Assembly held in New York, President Adama Barrow spoke to the Voice of America Africa section.
During the interview that lasted 27 minutes, the President spoke on several issues around the state of the country’s democratic transition and transitional justice. Some of the remarks he made have been flagged as false.
Claim I
Claim: No journalist was arrested in the Gambia since 2016
Source: President Adama Barrow
Verdict: False
The President told VOA that his government has been upholding principles of the right to freedom of expression, including press freedom.
He said: “In doing that also, we have freedom of speech. Within a short period, we have almost 40-something radio stations that have total freedom. And from 2016 to now, no journalist is in jail. There has not been a journalist that has been arrested within my period.”
Fact-check
The claim that there is total freedom of speech, including press freedom, and no arbitrary arrests since he took over in 2016 is both misleading and false.
Human rights and press freedom organisations have documented violations of freedom of expression, including the prevalence of anti-free speech laws, arrest and detention of political and civil society activists over speech-related issues, unlawful closure of media houses, and violent crimes against journalists with impunity.
On January 1, a political science lecturer Dr. Ismaila Ceesay was detained by the police and charged with ‘incitement to violence following his newspaper comment about the unsustainable retention of ECOMIG forces in the country.
On June 30th, 2020, human rights defender Madi Jobarteh was charged with ‘false information and broadcasting’ per Section 181A (1) of the Criminal Code. According to Frontline Defenders, a human rights organization, Madi had earlier received information that he was under surveillance by the agents of the State Intelligence Agency (SIS) as his name was listed as a state target and his activities were being watched.
On press freedom, the Gambia Press Union has documented 16 incidents of physical assault on journalists from 2017 to 2022. The Union has also reported 6 cases of arrests and detention of journalists within this period, and the arbitrary closure of two radio stations.
The most recent arrest was made on journalist Yusef Taylor alias Flex Dan who was briefly detained at Senegambia police station. The GPU condemned his arrest that took place in July and was charged with ‘obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duty.’ As the editor of Gainako online, Flex Dan said he simply arrived at the station to report on the arrest of Neneh Freda Gomez and Lamin Sey of the Medical Charity group ‘Global Home of Medical Mission’ (Global HoMM) who have a longstanding land issue with the government.
Verdict: The president’s claims that the Gambia has total freedom of expression and speech, and that no journalist has been jailed or arbitrarily arrested since 2016 are false.
Claim II: Police have never used excessive force in handling crowds, or political opponents since 2016
In the same interview, the Gambian leader claimed: “If you look at the scorecard, I think what the civil society is talking about is not concrete [because] there is no evidence of that happening in The Gambia. There is no politician that is in jail. There is no civil society personnel in jail and it was not like that before. There is no arbitrary arrest…. [Police brutality] is already in the past. Since I came to power, the police have never used excesses in that country, not possible. We follow the rules and regulations which guide all these things concerning policing and all sorts of.”
Fact-check
See also Hate speech alert: NPP National President incites other tribes against UDP, Mandinkas
Alleged police brutality was recorded on July 24, 2020, against one Ebrima Sanneh, who hailed from Brikama. He was being held at the Anti-Crime Unit where he was reportedly subjected to forced labor by the police before being punched in the face.
In this video, Sanneh explained to Kerr Fatou how the Commander of the Unit Gorgui Mboob used a metallic hoe to hit him on his private part. “I was in pain. My urine colour turned reddish and that is not normal. I was feeling pain but there I cannot complain a lot because I know if I complain a lot I would end up staying there longer.” After the investigations launched into the issue by the National Human Rights Commission, The Commission has recommended that Gorgui Mboob be punished and removed from Anti-Crime Unit as he abused Ebrima Sanneh. The Commission concluded that all the stories issued by the police command were a mere fabrication with the intention of coverup.
Police brutality has always been on a high scale in the country whenever protests are organised. In 2019, 56 protesters were admitted to Brimaka Health Centre, including 41 women following a clamp down on protesters by the riot police in Brikama. The protesters were venting anger at the alleged ineptitude of Brikama Area Council Chairman Sheriffo Sonko before the police arrived with the excessive firing of teargases which affected multiple households, including women.
On 26th January 2020, a protest organised by the movement ‘3 Years Jotna’ in Banjul turned violent with at least 137 protesters arrested, dozens injured and two radio stations suspended. The protesters were demanding the resignation of President Barrow following the end of his campaign promise to serve only three years.
See also Fact-Check: Gambia’s GDP Currently Growing At 6% ?
The U.S State Department’s 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices in the Gambia has detailed numerous security brutalities in The Gambia, including the heavy-handedness of the police in handling protests. One such occasion came just after the 2021 presidential election when UDP supporters who were gathered in front of their party leader’s residence in Fajara were heavily tear-gassed by the police rioter officers causing injuries and hospitalisation.
Two police officers recorded themselves in a video celebrating it.
Verdict: The claim that there have not been any cases of security brutalities in the Gambia since 2016 by President Barrow is false.
Author
Kebba Jeffang
Kebba Jeffang is senior reporter for Malagen and head of media monitoring
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