A Gambian woman has become the first person convicted under the country’s new Criminal Offences Act (COA), which criminalizes insults against the president and public officials.

Mariama Naba Darboe was convicted and sentenced by Senior Magistrate Isatou Jallow at the Brusubi Magistrates’ Court for insulting President Adama Barrow. She was fined D40,000, or, in default, to serve one month in prison.

The incident took place on 5 July, when Darboe, during a vehicle ride from Tanji, allegedly used a parental insult—specifically the ‘F’ word—toward the president. The prosecution called three witnesses, while the defence called two and submitted three exhibits in its attempt to argue that Darboe merely used the term “stupid president.”

Magistrate Jallow, however, found the prosecution’s case more credible, noting that all three independent witnesses corroborated the use of the more offensive language.

In delivering the sentence, the magistrate acknowledged the seriousness of insulting the office of the president, but also considered Darboe’s status as a first-time offender and breadwinner living in Sweden. Darboe paid the fine immediately, bringing the matter to a close.

Background: The Criminal Offences Act

The Criminal Offences Act, passed in December 2023, replaced the colonial-era Criminal Code and introduced several new provisions, including the criminalisation of insults directed at the president, cabinet ministers, and other public officials.

Under the Act, insulting or defaming the president is considered a criminal offence punishable by fines or imprisonment. The government has argued that the law is designed to protect the dignity of public office, but critics—including rights groups and legal scholars—have raised concerns over its implications for freedom of speech and political dissent.

This case is the first known conviction under the controversial law and is likely to reignite debate over the balance between national dignity and constitutional rights in The Gambia’s evolving legal landscape.