Gambiaj.com – (GENEVA, Switzerland) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, Gina Romero, has raised serious concerns at the UN Human Rights Council over mass arrests, alleged excessive use of force against peaceful protesters, and the controversial removal of The Gambia’s Auditor General, describing the developments as troubling for democracy and institutional independence.
In a Tuesday post on X, Romero disclosed that she led a formal communication, jointly with the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, to the Government of The Gambia regarding what she described as “mass arrests and excessive use of force against peaceful protesters, most of them young people.”
The communication seen by The Gambia Journal and referenced as AL GMB 1/2025 details allegations of arbitrary arrests and police violence during a series of youth-led protests in August 2025, primarily against a Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) directive that reportedly increased tariffs by up to 275%.
According to the UN experts quoted in the document, at least 44 demonstrators were arrested between 22 and 25 August while participating in peaceful protests in Banjul and Kanifing.
The letter states that riot police forcibly dispersed demonstrators at the PURA carpark along the Kairaba Avenue, despite the protest being described as non-violent and posing no threat to public safety.
Subsequent solidarity protests outside the Kanifing Magistrate Court were also met with tear gas and further arrests.
Those detained were charged under the Public Order Act with offenses including unlawful assembly, unlawful procession, and public nuisance, charges that carry potential prison sentences of up to three years.
The UN experts expressed particular concern that most of those arrested were young people and warned that the police response may have a “chilling effect” on civil society, human rights defenders, and political activism in the country.
They stressed that spontaneous assemblies are protected under international law and that the absence of prior authorization does not justify arrests or dispersal.
Beyond the protests, Romero and her fellow Rapporteur also raised alarm over the removal of the Auditor General on 15 September 2025.
According to the communication, the Auditor General was forcibly removed from office by law enforcement after declining a ministerial appointment, despite constitutional and statutory safeguards protecting the independence of the National Audit Office.
The UN letter argues that the removal violated the National Audit Office Act 2015, which requires a clearly defined procedure involving either a medical board or a presidential tribunal before an Auditor General can be lawfully dismissed.
The experts noted that no such tribunal was convened, calling the action a “flagrant violation” of the law and a serious threat to accountability and transparency in public financial management.
Romero and her counterpart warned that the arrests, use of force (including tear gas), and the interference with the Auditor General’s office may reflect “an increasingly repressive pattern” and urged the Gambian authorities to take immediate steps to halt violations and ensure accountability for any unlawful actions by security forces.
The UN Special Rapporteurs have requested formal explanations from the Government of The Gambia and confirmed that both the communication and any official response will be made public and reported to the UN Human Rights Council.
