In a significant development, the Gambia is poised to amend its Criminal Offences Act, seeking to expand the criminal jurisdiction of Gambian courts to offences committed by individuals outside the country who subsequently enter the Gambia. This move aims to streamline the legal process, ensuring that offenders are tried within the Gambian judicial system rather than being extradited for trial in foreign states.

The initiative, first introduced by the Attorney General and Minister for Justice Abubakar Tambedou in June 2020. After being initially introduced, the bill underwent thorough scrutiny by the Standing Committee and was set for further action in the Plenary. However, due to the dissolution of the previous Parliament and the subsequent composition of the new Parliament in 2022, the bill was reintroduced by the Minister for Justice. Subsequently, the Standing Committee on Human Rights proposed several amendments to the bill, which were approved.

One of the key recommendations by the Standing Committee was to amend the title of the bill from Criminal Offences Bill 2020 to Criminal Offences Act 2024, aligning it with the current legislative year. Additionally, the definition of “disciplined forces” in the bill’s text was amended to refer to armed and security forces, distinguishing them from the armed forces or the National Youth Service.

It now remains to be seen if these amendments meet the threshold in the long struggle of human rights activists, politicians, and the media to amend anti-freedom provisions and transform the Criminal Offences Act into an instrument of civil cohesion rather than a tool for government suppression of freedoms.