On July 9, 2026, the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court acquitted and discharged three anti-corruption activists who had been charged with unlawful assembly and common nuisance in September 2025.
The activists, Omar Saibo Camara, Alieu Bah, and Kemo Fatty, were arrested on September 15, 2025, after holding a press conference near the National Audit Office in Kanifing to protest President Adama Barrow’s removal of the then Auditor General, Momodou Ceesay, which they argued was unconstitutional.
They were subsequently charged with “unlawful assembly” and “common nuisance” under Sections 62 and 173 respectively of the Criminal Offences Act, 2025. They pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In delivering the ruling on July 9, Principal Magistrate Sallah Mbaye said the prosecution had failed to provide evidence of “violence, threatening violence, intimidation, destruction of property, obstruction of access, or any conduct from which a reasonable person could objectively conclude that a breach of the peace was imminent.”
“The court cannot infer the essential ingredient merely because voices were raised or because the accused persons insisted upon exercising what they believe to be their constitutional right,” she stated.
The acquittal is a positive affirmation of the rights to peaceful assembly and expression, reinforcing that Gambians should not face criminal sanctions for protesting peacefully.
Meanwhile, on July 8, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled that President Barrow’s removal of Ceesay as Auditor General was unconstitutional and unlawful. The Court also held that the Gambia Police Force’s decision to forcibly remove Ceesay from office violated Section 158 of the National Audit Act and the Constitution.
The MFWA welcomes the ruling and urges Gambian authorities to refrain from using criminal or public order laws to unduly restrict legitimate civic engagement and peaceful dissent.
