{"id":85380,"date":"2025-09-04T07:02:38","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T07:02:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/efscrj-calls-for-accountability-in-police-conduct"},"modified":"2025-09-04T07:16:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T07:16:50","slug":"efscrj-calls-for-accountability-in-police-conduct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/efscrj-calls-for-accountability-in-police-conduct","title":{"rendered":"EFSCRJ Calls for Accountability in Police Conduct"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>The Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice (EFSCRJ) has urged the government to launch urgent investigations into alleged police misconduct during a recent protest against the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority\u2019s (PURA) data price floor.<\/b><\/p>\n

In a letter dated September 1st and addressed to the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General\u2019s Chambers, the Gambia Police Force, the Office of National Security, and the National Human Rights Commission, the rights group expressed concern over what it described as serious human rights violations.<\/p>\n

EFSCRJ reminded the institutions of their duty to ensure that public bodies respect human rights and uphold the rule of law.<\/p>\n

According to the group, what began as a lawful and peaceful demonstration outside PURA\u2019s offices escalated into arbitrary arrests, torture, and other inhumane treatment, including of women and minors.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn total, 45 people were arrested, subjected to degrading treatment, and detained under unacceptable conditions. Tear gas was recklessly deployed even within the precincts of the Kanifing Magistrates Court, violating both national and international standards on policing,\u201d EFSCRJ noted. The organization highlighted several areas of concern, including:<\/p>\n

\u2022 The unlawful dispersal of a peaceful assembly that required no police permit under the Public Order Act.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Arbitrary and disproportionate use of force, including the arrest of uninvolved bystanders.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Inhuman and degrading treatment of detainees, including torture, overcrowded and unhygienic cell conditions, and unlawful detention of minors with adults, and women with men.<\/p>\n

\u2022 The cutting of dreadlocks of activist Ali Cham (Killa Ace) in Mile 2 Prison, a degrading act with no basis in law.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Indiscriminate use of tear gas, which constitutes torture under international law.EFSCRJ stressed that these actions amount to violations of the 1997 Constitution, the Public Order Act, international treaties ratified by The Gambia, and the Gambia Police Force\u2019s own Code of Conduct.<\/p>\n

The group called for:<\/p>\n

1. An independent and impartial investigation into all violations committed by police officers, with perpetrators held accountable and victims accorded justice.<\/p>\n

2. The Inspector General of Police to issue a clear directive confirming that stationary public assemblies without processions or loudspeakers do not require permits.<\/p>\n

3. The issuance of a transparent notification system for assemblies to guarantee police presence for protection rather than suppression.<\/p>\n

4. An end to police practices that shield public institutions from accountability by denying citizens their constitutional right to peaceful assembly.EFSCRJ emphasized that The Gambia\u2019s democratic gains risk being undermined if the police continue to act as an obstacle rather than a guarantor of rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the interest of justice, accountability, and human rights, we call on the government to act swiftly,\u201d the group urged.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. The Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice (EFSCRJ) has urged the government to launch urgent investigations into alleged police misconduct during a recent protest against the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority\u2019s (PURA) data price floor. In a letter dated September 1st and addressed to the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":85379,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-85380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nEFSCRJ Calls for Accountability in Police Conduct - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice (EFSCRJ) has urged the government to launch urgent investigati ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/efscrj-calls-for-accountability-in-police-conduct\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"EFSCRJ Calls for Accountability in Police Conduct\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice (EFSCRJ) has urged the government to launch urgent investigati ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/efscrj-calls-for-accountability-in-police-conduct\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-04T07:02:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-04T07:16:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/09\/sm_1756957530.926611.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/efscrj-calls-for-accountability-in-police-conduct#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/efscrj-calls-for-accountability-in-police-conduct\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"EFSCRJ Calls for Accountability in Police Conduct\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-04T07:02:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-04T07:16:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/efscrj-calls-for-accountability-in-police-conduct\"},\"wordCount\":447,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/efscrj-calls-for-accountability-in-police-conduct#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/09\/sm_1756957530.926611.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/efscrj-calls-for-accountability-in-police-conduct#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/efscrj-calls-for-accountability-in-police-conduct\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/efscrj-calls-for-accountability-in-police-conduct\",\"name\":\"EFSCRJ Calls for Accountability in Police Conduct - 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