Military personnel in The Gambia have barred journalists from covering the court martial proceedings of military officers accused of complicity in the December 30, 2014, attack on the official residence of President Yahya Jammeh in Banjul.
MFWA’s sources say reporters from The Gambia-based online newspaper, Gambia Affairs, The Standard and Foroyaa newspapers have all been refused entry on different occasions when they attempted to cover the proceedings.
On February 10, reporters working with The Standard and Foroyaa newspapers were denied access to cover court martial proceedings.
Two weeks later, on February 24, 2015, a reporter from Gambia Affairs was barred by military officers from attending the court martial. An armed military officer kept guard at the gate of the venue and reportedly told the journalist “no journalist is allowed to cover this case. It is different from other court martials.”
