Six women charged as Gambian authorities crack down on growing dissent

• The six were among at least 25 arrested in Banjul for protesting the prosecution of some 45 members of the United Democratic Party (UDP).
• As demonstrations have continued calling for electoral reforms, protests increased following the death of UDP leader Solo Sandeng in police custody.
• Public demonstration is rare in Gambia, where President Yahya Jammeh has taken a zero tolerance approach to dissent since taking power in 1994.

Read more:
“Gambia charges six women for protesting trial of opposition figures” (Reuters)
“Fifty-five Gambia UDP opposition members arrested in government crackdown, says party executive” (Radio France Internationale)
“Protests signal serious challenge to Gambia’s ‘billion-year’ president” (Global Voices via The Guardian)

(Image Credit: SEYLLOU/AFP/Getty Images, via The Guardian)