Jammeh, who took over the West African nation in a 1994 coup, has been accused of multiple human rights abuses, including the killing and torture of opposition members and journalists, during his 22 years in office.
Gambian police spokesperson Modou Musa Sissawo told CPJ by phone on Friday that Mankajang remained in detention and was charged with “interference with witnesses” in connection with his reporting on the killing of two police officers in Casamance, an area of Senegal south of Gambia.
Interference with witnesses is a misdemeanor, which carries up to two years imprisonment and a fine, according to Sections 34 and 102 of the criminal code.
Mankajang recently traveled to Casamance to conduct interviews about the killings, according to a Facebook post by the journalist and a statement by local trade group Gambia Press Union. Mankajang is an independent reporter who posts on TikTok and a Facebook page called Mankajang Daily, which collectively have about 70,000 followers.
Mankajang has been detained since officers arrested the journalist on Wednesday, September 20, after he responded to a police summons at Faji Kunda police station outside the capital, Banjul, according to the GPU statement and the journalist’s Facebook post.
