The Gambia Press Union (GPU) has condemned the arrest of journalist Yusef Taylor, editor-in-chief of Gainako Online newspaper.

Mr Taylor was on July 5 arrested and detained at the Senegambia Police Station for four hours after attempting to report on the arrest of Neneh Freda Gomez and Lamin Sey of the medical charity, Global Home of Medical Mission (Global HoMM).

According to the GPU report, Taylor was arrested after police officers forcibly tried to remove him from the station’s premises when he tried to enquire about the detention of the Global HoMM representatives Neneh Freda Gomez and Lamin Sey.

“After initially trying to force him out of the station in a highhanded manner, leading to the tearing of his shirt, the officers then decided to drag Mr. Taylor into the station and locked him up in one of the cells, according to a colleague who witnessed the incident and a GPU Safety Officer who visited the police station where the journalist was held,” the union said.

“The GPU condemns the actions of these officers in their entirety, and is dismayed by the unfortunate never-ending trend of journalists being assaulted by security personnel, especially the police,” GPU President, Muhammed S. Bah, said.

He described the incident as a reminiscent of the events of June 2020, when Ebou N. Keita was arrested, detained, and later released without charge for photographing police officers arresting people protesting against the country’s COVID-19 restrictions.

“It is also a stark reminder that while the exercise of free speech and press freedom guaranteed under the 1997 Constitution has significantly improved since 2017, more needs to be done to better protect the rights of journalists who continue to come under attack from security forces for simply carrying out their constitutional duty of holding the government accountable,” he added.

The GPU calls on the Gambia Police Force “to exercise restraint and cease from the use of force on journalists who have a significant mandate of not only holding the government to account, but promoting the public’s right to know – a fundamental aspect of freedom of expression, access to information and the promotion of democracy and good governance.”

Reporting by Adama Makasuba