The Gambia

The Gambia

Right	Section	Contents
Freedom of Association	History	The first assertion of the freedom for association in Gambia was in their Constitution within their Independence Order of 1965, ratified February 18th. The independence order was submitted to Great Britain, and the right to association was included in Section 3, Chapter II, Article 11 (“The Gambia Independence Order 1965”, 1965). 1965. The Gambia Independence Order 1965. February 18. https://citizenshiprightsafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Gambia-Constitution-1965.pdf.
Freedom of Expression	History	The first protection of the freedom of expression in The Gambia came in the 1996 constitution.
Freedom of Religion	History	The Gambia Independence Order of 1965, written on January 29th, 1965, and presented to the British Parliament in the same year, protects and guarantees the right to freedom of religion in Gambia. Article 19 deals with freedom of conscience and its six sections address freedom of religion, granting it to all citizens (“The Gambia Independence Order” 1965). Under the 2020 Constitution of the Gambia Articles 1.3, 4.d, 12, 32, 49, 67, 69, 274.1(d), and 296.2(d) offer extensive religious protections and prohibit religious discrimination, and Articles 88.5(b) and 153.2(b) declare that the president and national assembly may not establish a national religion. “The Gambia Independence Order” 1965. Citizenshiprightsafrica.org http://citizenshiprightsafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Gambia-Constitution-1965.pdf Constitution Project “Gambia (the) 2020 Constitution.” Constitute. POGO, April 27, 2022. https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Gambia_2020D?lang=en#:~:text=Gambia%20(The)%202020%20Constitution%20%2D%20Constitute.
Freedom of the Press	History	Article 20 of The Gambia’s 1965 Constitution protected “freedom to receive ideas and information without interference, freedom to communicate ideas and information without interference (whether the communication be to the public generally or to any person or class of persons) and freedom from interference with his correspondence” under its protection of freedom of expression (Citizenship Rights Africa, “The Gambia Independence Order 1965” ). Today, Article 25 of The Gambia’s 1996 Constitution guarantees that “Every person shall have the right to… freedom of speech and expression, which shall include freedom of the press and other media” (Constitute Project, “Gambia (The)'s Constitution of 1996 with Amendments through 2004” ).
Privacy Rights	History	Article 23 of the 1996 constitution says, “No person shall be subject to interference with the privacy of his or her home, correspondence or communications save as is in accordance with law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety of the economic well-being of the country, for the protection of health or morals, for the prevention of disorder or crime or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others” (Constitute Project, “Gambia (The) 1996 rev. 2018” ). https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Gambia_ 2018? lang=en
Voting Rights and Suffrage	History	According to Chapter 5, Article 39, every citizen over the age of 18 and of sound mind is eligible to vote in universal elections through a secret ballot to freely elect representatives. (Constitute Project, “Gambia’s (The) Constitution of 1996 with Amendments through 2018” ).