The Secretary General of the Gambia Press Union (GPU) Saikou Jammeh has disclosed that more than 15 media practitioners have been assaulted from 2017 to date with one of the incidents occurring during the president’s own rally. He made this statement in response to President Barrow’s comment at one of his rallies that some news stories of TVs and radios are false and credited his government for issuing licenses at a scale never seen before.

“It is not accurate that the number of radios and TVs has increased by 400 percent. Maybe the television but the number of radio hasn’t increased by even 100 percent” Jammeh noted. 

Furthering shedding light on President’s Statement that no journalist has been arrested or assaulted since he assumed office; SG Jammeh described it as false indicating that a dozen journalists have been arrested since 2017 and 15 more assaulted in the same period more than the last 5 years of Jammeh.

“It is quite disappointing for him to distort the facts about the situation of journalists or incite attacks against journalists. And he seems to be doing that more regularly than acceptable in recent times.” the GPU Secretary General warned.  

BY: SARJO D BOJANG