Africa-Press – Gambia. The Patriotic Progressive Alliance (PPA) has renewed calls for the government to immediately drop what it describes as “baseless charges” against young Gambians.
The party is calling for the dropping of all charges levelled against Gala Protesters who are currently on trial for protesting against the price floor imposed by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA).
In a statement issued by PPA leader, Dr. Ousman Gajigo, the newly-formed party expressed deep concern over the prolonged trial, which has suffered a series of adjournments since the case began. Dr. Gajigo argued that the repeated delays amount to a denial of justice and reflect a broader pattern of government suppression of dissent.
“These are young patriots who lawfully protested against an unfair decision. Yet, they are being subjected to endless adjournments, denying them their constitutional right to a speedy trial,” Dr. Gajigo said.
The protesters were arrested after staging demonstrations against PURA’s decision to impose a price floor on mobile data services — a move they claimed stifled competition among telecom operators and hurt consumers through inflated prices.
According to the PPA, the regulator’s decision “was inconsistent with its mandate and injurious to the public interest,” as it prevented companies from offering affordable rates and improving service quality.
Dr. Gajigo further questioned the motives behind the price control measure, suggesting that it served the interests of select corporate and political actors rather than ordinary Gambians.
“PURA’s reasons did not make sense and raised serious questions about whose interests they were really serving,” he added.
The opposition leader accused the government of deliberately prolonging the case to intimidate citizens from exercising their constitutional rights to peaceful protest.
“It is not surprising that this trial is dragging on. The government knows the case is weak, but they are using the delay as a tactic to frustrate these youths,” Dr. Gajigo noted.
The PPA maintained that the ongoing trial represents a misuse of state resources and called on the authorities to redirect their efforts toward tackling what it described as “massive corruption within the administration.”
“The government should be focused on addressing corruption and economic mismanagement, not persecuting citizens who speak up,” the statement concluded.
The case, which has been adjourned multiple times, is expected to resume at a later date before the Magistrates’ Court in Banjul.
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