Citizens’ Alliance has called on the state to ‘unconditionally release’ the leaders of Three Years Jotna. 

The opposition party said it was shocked to learn of the arrest of the group leaders by police. 

The leaders of the anti-government that staged a protest in December 2019 calling for the president to step down, were rearrested on Wednesday after the High Court dismissed the case.

“The Citizens’ Alliance is gravely concerned and expresses [dismay] with the way the state is handling the case involving the Three Yeas Jotna leaders who were arrested and charged for peacefully protesting in December 2019. 

“A competent court discharged the accused persons after the State Prosecutions withdrawal of the case. 

It was shocking to learn that the 3YJ leaders were re-arrested again by the police immediately after leaving the courtroom to be charged afresh. CA strongly condemns this egregious violation of the rights of the 3YJ leaders.

“At a time when Gambians are struggling to come to terms with a dark past, this single act is a setback for our democracy with the potential to derail the successes registered by the judicial arm of government and a reminder that we still have a lot of work to do as a nation in so far as the promotion of the rule of law and consolidating our democracy is concerned,” the party said in a press release.

“CA demands the unconditional release of these victims of injustice without being subjected to any further ludicrous charges that would undermine the integrity of our judicial system. 

“This act of injustice against a few Gambians is considered by us as injustice against every Gambian,” CA said.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba