Mamadou S. Jallow, a reporter for the privately-owned Daily News on January 24, 2012 made his first appearance in court to answer criminal defamation charges allegedly made against Mamadou Lamin Baldeh, a local chief in western Gambia.

Allieu Sesay, a broadcast journalist working with Freetown-based Radio Democracy, was reportedly assaulted on January 15, 2012 and briefly detained by some policemen drawn from the Operation Support Division (OSD) of the Sierra Leonean police.

A criminal court in Gambia on January 17, 2012 convicted Dr. Amadou Scattered Janneh, a former Minister of Information and Communication of treason and sentenced him to life imprisonment with hard labour.