of the State. The Respondent’s defense is that the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code, Article 5 of the Public Order Act, as well as Section 19(1) of the Constitution of the Gambia are in tandem with the provision of Article 6 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR). They also maintained that the detention was in compliance with a valid order of Court following the due process of the law. Section 15 of the Criminal Procedure Code Cap 11 Vol 3 Laws of The Gambia, Revised Edition 2009, permits a police officer without a warrant to arrest any person whom he suspects on reasonable grounds of having committed a cognizable offence, any person who commits a breach of peace in his presence and any person who obstructs a police officer in the execution of his duty. They further relied on Section 73 of the Criminal Code Cap 10 Vol. 3 Revised Laws of The Gambia 2009 which provides: “If on the expiration of a reasonable time after the proclamation is made, or after the making of the proclamation has been prevented by force, twelve or more persons continue riotously assembled together, a person authorized to make proclamation, or a police officer, or any other person acting in aid of the person or police officer, may do all things necessary for dispersing the persons so continuing assembled, or for apprehending them or any of them, and, if a person makes resistance, may use all such force as is reasonably necessary for overcoming the resistance, and shall not be liable in any criminal or civil proceeding for having , by the use of such force, caused harm or death to any person”. Consequently, the Respondent submits that the interference with or deprivation of liberty of the Applicants in pursuance of and in accordance with the legal principles in the Gambia, are well within the permissible exceptions enshrined in Article 6 of the African Charter and therefore does not constitute violations of the applicant’s rights to liberty within the meaning of the said Article. 15

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