Mandela Legacy

"It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails.A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones" - Nelson Mandela

The Gambian prison system has suffered from years of neglect and under-investment. Conditions of detention are poor and overcrowded whereas, during the previous government, the prison system suffered from a poor reputation with allegations of human rights abuses committed. Citizens spend prolonged periods in pre-trial detention with some individuals there up to five (5) years awaiting trial

The human rights climate in The Gambia improved dramatically as the new president, Adama Barrow, and his government took steps to reverse former President Yahya Jammeh’s legacy of authoritarian and abusive rule after After winning the December 2016 election President Barrow recognizes the challenges the country is facing in what he considers as “a transition period”