Gambia Press Union Condemns Harassment of Journalist at High Court

The Gambia Press Union (GPU) has expressed outrage over the physical and verbal harassment of journalist Yankuba Jallow, a reporter with Foroyaa newspaper, by prison wardens at the High Court in Banjul.

Jallow was at the courthouse on Monday, covering the ongoing trial of former senior officials of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), now renamed the State Intelligence Service (SIS). The accused are currently held at Mile 2 Central Prison.

After the court proceedings, at the request of the detainees themselves, Jallow took photographs of the former NIA officials as they exited the courtroom. However, shortly after capturing the first image, prison warden Kadiri Jobarteh allegedly rushed at him, demanding that he hand over his phone to have the photo deleted.

“I refused his order, and other prison wardens joined him, trying to force me to surrender my phone,” Jallow recounted. “I held onto it firmly. If not for the intervention of others, my phone or even my hand could have been broken.”

GPU President Sheriff Bojang Jr. condemned the incident as a direct attack on press freedom, stating, “There is no law in The Gambia that prevents journalists from taking pictures of detainees who are not minors after court proceedings, especially outside the courtroom. This harassment was completely uncalled for.”

The GPU acknowledged that journalists are aware of judicial regulations prohibiting recording or photography inside a courtroom during proceedings. However, in Jallow’s case, the trial had ended, and the photos were taken outside the courtroom, making the wardens’ actions unjustified.

Following the incident, the matter was reported to the Gambia Prison Services, which later apologized and assured the GPU that the officers involved would be reprimanded and measures put in place to prevent future occurrences of such incidents.