Police open official investigation into alleged assault on Eye Africa journalist

The Professional Standard Unit of the Gambia Police Force on Wednesday opened an investigation into the case of Eye Africa online TV cameraman who was alleged assaulted by the police.

Bubacarr Manga was allegedly slapped by a member of the Police Intervention Unit on Sunday, 22 September 2018, while filming a meeting organised by a group of teachers in Abuko.

The GPU leadership had called on the police Commissioner of Operations, Commander Landing Bojang, to formally express their condemnation of the act and to demand that the police high command launch an investigation into the case.

In reaction, the Professional Standard Unit of the police, which is in charge of investigating malpractices of police personnel, has been instructed to launch an investigation.

As an entry point for the investigation, the alleged victim, Bubacarr Manga, and the managing director of Eye Africa, Lamin Kanteh, on Wednesday went to the police headquarters to give their own testimony.

The GPU President, Sheriff Bojang Jr, urged the police to make the investigation swift, thorough and impartial.

“We will monitor the progress of the investigation closely and we won’t relent until there’s justice”.

There are already two pending cases of investigations of brutality against the media: an alleged assault by the former ruling APRC security and supporters on the GRTS news crew, and an assault on Pa Modou Bojang, a Brikama-based journalist, who was mal-handled and beaten allegedly by men of Police Intervention Unit.

So far, in all these cases, the police have not held anyone culpable, despite the promise by the IGP that investigations were open in each of these cases.