By: Fatou Krubally
The Edward Francis Small Centre for Research and Justice (EFSCRJ) has issued a powerful public statement marking the ninth anniversary of the brutal killing of political activist Solo Sandeng, using the moment to call out what it describes as a troubling failure by the current government to fulfill long-promised electoral reforms.
In the statement, EFSCRJ paid homage to Sandeng and his fellow protesters, who were arrested and tortured in April 2016 after peacefully demanding electoral reforms at Westfield. Sandeng was killed in custody, while many others suffered torture, sexual violence, and poisoning at the hands of the former regime’s security agents.
The rights group commended the Barrow government for its early steps in securing convictions for some of those responsible and for giving Sandeng a national burial. But EFSCRJ warned that nearly a decade later, the very reforms Sandeng died fighting for remain stalled.
“The country remains stuck with the same Elections Decree crafted in 1996 under the shadows of military rule,” the statement reads. It raised alarm over the continued denial of voting rights to Gambians in the diaspora and prisoners, calling it a direct contradiction to democratic principles.
EFSCRJ also criticized political parties that once rallied behind the call for reform particularly those in the 2016 Grand Coalition for failing to act after coming to power. The group reminded them of the 14-point electoral reform proposal they submitted as the Gambia Opposition for Electoral Reform (GOFER) in 2015, urging them to uphold the commitments they made in their memorandum of understanding and campaign promises.
Calling 2025 “The Year of Transparency and Accountability,” EFSCRJ is demanding that President Barrow and the National Assembly move swiftly to pass the Elections Bill and reinstate Clause 14 to operationalize diaspora voting. “Elections are the lifeblood of democracy,” the group stated, affirming that the legacy of Solo Sandeng is not just a matter of remembrance but of responsibility.
