The Gambia’s Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Act 2023 is facing renewed scrutiny after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) confirmed that it “received 11 allegations of torture” against security personnel in 2025. However, despite the law being in force for three years, no case has yet reached the courts, a magistrate has confirmed to Askanwi.

More in this feature report.

Members of The Gambia’s National Assembly signed a Political Social Contract for Accountability and Good Governance hosted by Gambia Participates on Saturday, 27th June 2026, at Bakadaji Hotel in Kololi.

The initiative seeks to strengthen youth participation in governance by creating a platform where political leaders publicly commit to accountability, transparency, and responsive leadership.

More in the news report.

The Women’s Association for Women and Victims Empowerment (WAVE) launched its annual human rights festival at Makumbaya on 20th June 2026, with a day of panel discussions, cultural performances, face painting and a documentary screening.

At the opening session, the Executive Secretary of the Reparations Commission announced that the Commission has disbursed D20 million in reparations to victims and is in the process of distributing an additional D5 million this year.

More in this feature publication.

Almost eight months after the National Assembly confirmed three Anti-Corruption Commissioners in December 2025, the Office of the President is yet to officially hold their swearing-in ceremony to empower the Commission to commence investigating corruption allegations.

More in the news report.

Nearly five years after The Gambia's Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) documented killings, torture, enforced disappearances and other human rights violations committed by state security agents, ANEKED Country Director Ms Sirra Ndow has called for a people-centred approach to security sector reform, stressing that the ultimate goal to ensure that Gambians never again fear the institutions meant to protect them.

More in the news report.

ActionAid The Gambia (AAITG) held an engagement forum with the National Assembly Select Committee on Trade on Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) on Friday, 22nd May 2026.

The forum, held at the National Assembly in Banjul, brought together key stakeholders to discuss the implications of BITs on trade, investment governance, national development, and public accountability in the Gambia.

More in the Parliamentary report.

Western Sahara human rights defenders alleged that they are being silenced in The Gambia, highlighting that their side event at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights 87th Ordinary Session was cancelled by the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre (SDKJ-ICC) yesterday, 12th May 2026.

More in the report from Banjul.

After waiting hours for a magistrate to be assigned to commence the trial, some 14 activists affiliated with the anti-corruption youth movement, Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA), were granted court bail on Monday, 11th May 2026, after being charged with unlawful assembly and common nuisance by police.

More in the court report.

IgniteEX, a nonprofit youth-led technology initiative aimed at bridging the technology exposure gap among young Gambians, was officially launched on Saturday, 9th May 2026, at the National Youth Parliament (NYP).

The initiative seeks to expand access to technology, digital skills, and innovation opportunities through partnerships with schools, communities, and technology organisations across the country.

More in the news report.

As five civil society organisations rally public support for the April 2000 Students Massacre, their statement reveals government inaction, noting that only one TRRC recommendation relating to the incident and protest has been completed since May 2022 when the state accepted the recommendations.

More in this press release.

As the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) prepares to conclude its public consultation today, 10th April 2026, the Gambia Press Union, the media and civil society organisations have issued a statement rejecting the government’s proposals and consultation.

According to the statement, the regulations will give the state the authority to decide who becomes a journalist underpinned by a registration regime allowing the state to suspend and revoke licenses for media platforms and social media users.

More in this statement.

A high-profile criminal case that has gripped the nation since 2023 reached a dramatic conclusion on 1st April 2026, as Ousainou Bojang and his sister, Amie Bojang, were finally released from state custody following a High Court acquittal, public protests, and mounting pressure on authorities.

More in the news report.

Civil society actors in The Gambia express deep concern over recent public remarks by Dr Ismaila Ceesay directed at Madi Jobarteh and the Edward Francis Small Center for Rights and Justice. These remarks must be understood within a broader and troubling pattern of delegitimising critical civic voices rather than engaging with the substance of their concerns. In particular, the questioning of the legitimacy of the Edward Francis Small Center for Rights and Justice—and, by extension, the credibility of its founder—raises serious issues for democratic discourse. More in the statement.

The first week of 2026 began on a positive note for Askanwi Media after it blew the whistle on telecom operators for failing to comply with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority’s (PURA) D75 per 1GB price ceiling, announced on 19th December 2025.

Follow Askanwi’s week-long advocacy journalism for the reduction of data prices under the price floor, which featured interviews with PURA and Gamcel.

The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations on Fiscal Transparency (CCBT) ratified a set of almost 70 recommendations and submitted them to the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) on 12th July 2019.

More in the news report.

The Girls for the Future Foundation (GFTF) held its second Rural-Urban Girls Summit from October 24th to 25th, 2025, at Metzy Residence Hotel in Kololi, under the theme “Bridging Divides, Building Futures.” More in the report.

The Red Dolphin Gambia Lifeguard Association has appealed to the Gambian government to provide urgent support and lifesaving equipment as drowning incidents continue to rise along the country’s coastline during the summer break. More in the news report.

A day after the shocking death of a one-month-old baby, Sarjo Conteh, on 9th August 2025, the “heartbroken” Children National Assembly of the Gambia (CNAG) issued a statement condemning the practice and called on the government to ensure justice is done. More in the article.

In a country rebuilding from decades of rights violations, a new generation is leading the charge for change—starting in the classroom. The Human Rights Friendly School initiative honored three schools on July 30th for embedding human rights into school life, echoing the TRRC’s call for civic education and non-recurrence. More in the news report.

The Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights & Justice (EFSCRJ) and the Women’s Association for Women & Victims’ Empowerment (WAVE-Gambia) have urged the Gambian government to fast-track the identification of human remains exhumed during the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) process, warning that four years of inaction have deepened the trauma of victims’ families and undermined the country’s transitional justice efforts. More in the press release.