The Gambia Press Union has said the country’s media fraternity is still grappling with challenges of press freedom despite progress recorded after the post-Jammeh dictatorship which left dozens of journalists arrested and tortured. 

Speaking at a ceremony organised by Freedom House, Modou S. Joof, secretary general of Gambia Press Union said: “Despite this progress recorded as a country, we are still grappling with challenges of press freedom – from physical attacks on journalists to impunity and a lack of justice for dictatorship-era crimes against journalists.

“We have witnessed in recent months’ direct threats to journalists and media houses from the current administration, which ignited calls on social media for attacks on individual journalists and media houses by political party militants affiliated with the ruling party.”

“Journalists and media workers and human rights defenders have also faced arbitrary arrests by the police, detained incommunicado without access to family or lawyers with whereabouts unknown and in one instance physically assaulted while in custody, and released with or without charges.

“Incidences of physical assault on journalists and media professionals perpetrated either by the police or political party militants which occurred since 2017 have never been investigated, and no one is held accountable,” he added.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba