Banjul, The Gambia – Prominent media and human rights global organizations have strongly condemned the recent arrests of two Gambian journalists, Musa Sheriff and Momodou Justice Darboe, following the publication of an article about President Adama Barrow. The pair, both working for The Voice Newspaper, were detained and charged with false publication and broadcasting, sparking outrage over what advocates are calling an attack on press freedom.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and the Gambia Press Union (GPU) have all issued statements demanding the immediate release of Sheriff and for charges against both journalists to be dropped.
RSF emphasized that President Barrow must honor his commitment to uphold press freedom, especially in light of his government’s growing tendency to target journalists for their reporting.
“RSF calls on President Barrow to uphold his commitments to press freedom at a time when journalists Momodou Darboe and Musa Sheriff are being detained for publishing an article about him. The charges against them must be dropped,” RSF declared in its statement.
Amnesty International expressed deep concern over the continued use of broad legal provisions to suppress freedom of expression in The Gambia. The organization highlighted the worrying trend of using criminal law to intimidate journalists. “We are concerned about the continuous use of vague criminal legal provisions to stifle freedom of expression, and call on the government to drop all charges against the journalists Musa Sheriff and Momodou Darboe, and to release Musa Sheriff,” Amnesty said.
The issue stems from an article published by Darboe, which suggested that President Barrow was planning an exit strategy and had allegedly chosen businessman Muhammed Jah as his successor. Gambian authorities swiftly arrested Darboe on September 28 and Sheriff, the editor-in-chief of The Voice, on September 30, both facing charges of false publication and broadcasting.
Sheriff was granted bail on Monday in the sum of D50,000, while Darboe had earlier been released on a D25,000 bail. Both arrests have reignited concerns about The Gambia’s media freedom, with critics fearing that the country is backsliding into the repression that characterized the previous regime. Despite being granted bail, the journalists must continue to report to the police headquarters as part of their ongoing legal process.
The GPU has been at the forefront of defending the journalists, stating: “We condemn the arrest of The Voice Newspaper’s Deputy Editor and call for his immediate release and for the charges to be dropped.”
Press freedom advocates have urged the Barrow administration to reverse these actions, warning that continued suppression of the media will tarnish the president’s legacy and hinder the nation’s democratic progress.
