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 3 million Dalasi4. Since the change of political dispensation however, freedom of expression and the media have been given fresh impetus; two private television stations, a number of radio stations and three newspapers have come into operation. The Government is currently working with The Gambia Press Union to establish an independent Media Council to consolidate the gains in the entrenchment of media freedoms in The Gambia. The new Government of The Gambia has committed itself to upholding the highest standards of freedom of expression. As part of measures to reform the criminal and media laws of the country, a National Media Law Review Committee has been constituted under the auspices of the Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure and Article 19 to review all existing media laws that are inimical to freedom of expression. A parallel criminal justice reform exercise has also been instituted to reform the criminal laws of The Gambia in line with best international practices. The ECOWAS Court has had cause to deliver a number of rulings against The Gambia for violations of human rights. For instance, in 2008, the ECOWAS ordered The Gambia to pay compensation to three Journalists, Ebrima Manneh US$100,000 and US$200,000 to Musa Saidykhan, in 2010 and in 2016 awarded US$50,000 to the family of Deyda Hydara. In an unreported case of the Inspector General of Police V. Fatou Jawo Manneh, a USA based Gambian Journalist was charged with four sedition related offences for the remarks she made in 2005 with an online newspaper in the USA. In 2008 the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court fined her 250,000 dalasis for the offences. 4 In 2009 the High Court of The Gambia in the case of The State v. Pap Saine & 5 others, convicted and sentenced six members of The Gambia Press Union to various terms of imprisonment for insulting former president of The Gambia Yaya Jammeh. In January 2014, two journalists, The Voice newspaper editor Musa Sheriff and freelance journalist Sainey Marena were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit a felony and publication of false news. In December 2015 four Gambian journalists (Fatou Jaw Manneh, Fatou Camara, Alhagie Jobe and Lamin Fatty) filed a suit against the former regime of Yaya Jammeh at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court for violation of their rights to freedom of expression through the enforcement of laws criminalizing libel, sedition and false news in the country. The Court found that the rights of these four Gambian journalists had been violated by the actions of The Gambian authorities through the enforcement of laws criminalizing free speech. Their arrest and detention was found to be an unnecessary restriction and amounted to a violation of their rights to freedom of expression, liberty and freedom of movement. 53