21st February 2020
Open letter to the Inspector General of Police, The Gambia
Dear Inspector General of The Gambia Police Force, Your attention is being drawn to the impact that continued the closure imposed since 26 January 2020 on Home Digital FM radio station for a wide audience at home and abroad. You may be aware that Home Digital FM radio station came into operation by fulfilling all legal
requirements regulating the provision of media services, thereby issued with valid licence by the
appropriate authorities including Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, PURA.
In line with best-practice standards, the radio station has kept to its licence conditions and have never been breached. If by any occasion the radio has violated any provisions in the licence, we expected a warning letter from the appropriate authorities for immediate correction. Fortunately, the radio station did nothing since the inception that could attract punitive measures. There is no police record against management and staff of the station suggesting they were inappropriately relaying adverse or subversive information associated with incitement.
We consider the closure of Home Digital as well as King FM radio station and arresting their proprietors Pa Modou Bojang and Gibby Jallow respectively as high-handed police action that could have been avoided by a more appropriate approach.
In the exigence of restoring this much information service to a yearning audience at home and abroad, we demand that you employ the full authority of your good office in lifting any ban imposed on both stations with the assurance that a repeat of such hasty action will be prevented in the future. We expect your high office to reserve and uphold greater duty of care in maintaining public order without recourse to brutal encounter.
With your swift response and most fitting remedial action, this matter may not be escalated to any legal recourse being contemplated. We thank you for your duty of care and expect no further delay in dispensing justice.
Lamin Conateh
Coordinator Home Digital FM 99.9, the home of Mengbe Kering