THE REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA’S COMBINED REPORT ON THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN & PEOPLES’ RIGHTS & INITIAL REPORT ON THE PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA Right to liberty and security of person- The Gambian Constitution guarantees “every person” the right to liberty and security of person. This means that the right to personal liberty and security of the person is applicable to all deprivations of liberty, whether in criminal cases or in other cases such as, mental illness and immigration control. It is prohibited under the Constitution to subject anyone to arbitrary arrest or detention and no one is to be deprived of his or her liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedures as are established by law. The Constitution provides further that any person who is arrested or detained shall be informed as soon as is reasonably practicable and in any case within three hours (3), in a language that he or she understands, of the reasons for his or her arrest or detention and of his or her right to consult a legal practitioner. Persons who are arrested or detained for the purpose of bringing them before a court in execution of the order of a court or upon reasonable suspicion of them having committed, or being about to commit a criminal offence must be taken to court within seventy-two hours (72) as required by the Constitution. Freedom of speech- The Gambian Constitution guarantees every person’s “freedom of speech and expression, which shall include freedom of the press and other media; freedom of thought, conscience and belief, which shall include academic freedom; freedom to petition the Executive for redress of grievances and to resort to the Courts for the protection of his or her rights.” In December 2017, in line with the Paris Principles, a National Human Rights Commission Act was enacted by the National Assembly for the promotion and protection of human rights in The Gambia. Subsequently, measures are being taken to set up the Secretariat of the Commission and the recruitment of Commissioners. The present Government has committed itself to full realization of the fundamental human rights of all persons in The Gambia. To this end, the Government is undertaking key constitutional and legal reforms to bring our laws in harmony with our international obligations. In order to prevent acts of torture in places of torture and arbitrary detention, The Gambia Police Force, National Intelligence Agency and The Gambia Prisons Services in partnership with human rights organisations such as the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa continue to train its officials and senior management on best practice standards on human rights best practices. The Prison Fellowship has also undertaken a nationwide visit to all its detention centres. 120