Justice Minister Denies Issuing Threat

The Gambia’s Justice Minister Edward Gomez has denied issuing a threat to Gambians abroad engaging in tarnishing the image of the country.
“I did not threaten anybody,” Minister Gomez, who called our office, has said on Wednesday.
Gomez was reacting to a story published Monday, which cited him as warning Gambians abroad engaged in painting a grim picture about The Gambia’s human rights record will face a possible backlash when they come to The Gambia. 
But Gomez slammed the report as complete nonsense, demanding an apology from this paper. He also complained about the paper’s Wednesday editorial, which reminded him of scores of unsettled human rights violations.
“My government sees the media as a partner in development. I have nothing to hide. But newspapers should not express their sentiments, but facts,” he said.
According to him, what was published on the paper was not the substance of the interview he had with the reporter; for he was condemning the actions of 24 British MPs who called for an international pressure on The Gambia government for rights violations. 
“I told your reporter that the 24 British MPs in question never visited the country,” he said, adding that the MPs should be concerned about the rights violations perpetuated by the British government, particularly in Iraq, rather than The Gambia.