Africa-Press – Gambia. On Friday, August 22nd, a group of protesters from Gambia Against Looted Assets, Team Gom Sa Bopa and the Edward Francis Small Centre For Rights and Justice took to the streets to demonstrate against the decision of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) to impose a price floor of D50 for 1GB of internet data.
The protesters were met with a strong response from law enforcement officers, resulting in the arrest of 19 individuals.
The arrested protesters were charged with unlawful assembly and detained for 24 hours. After a day in custody, the police offered bail to all the protesters.
However, only three of the 19 accepted the bail conditions. The remaining 16 protesters, including prominent figures such as Journalist/Activist Yusef Taylor and singer/activist Killa Ace, refused the bail offer.
The 16 protesters declined the bail conditions and instead demanded unconditional release.
Organisations like Solo Sandeng Foundation and activists including Madi Jobarteh have strongly criticised the arrest of the protesters and demanded their unconditional release.
The case has drawn attention to the ongoing debate about internet data prices in The Gambia and the role of Pura in regulating the industry.
The protesters’ determination to pursue their demand for unconditional release has raised questions about the government’s commitment to upholding human rights and freedom of expression.
As the situation unfolds, many are eagerly awaiting the outcome of the protesters’ case, which is expected to have significant implications for the country’s democratic development.
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