GPU Launches High-Level Training to Strengthen Journalists’ Reporting on Special Tribunals, Global Justice Trials By Raymond Enoch
The Gambia Press Union (GPU) had opened a transformative three-day capacity-building programme for 40 journalists drawn from various media platforms, marking a decisive push to improve public understanding and media coverage of special tribunals and universal jurisdiction trials.
Supported by funding from the US-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the training forms a central pillar of GPU’s twelve-month project titled “Strengthening Journalists’ Capacity to Report on Transitional Justice.” The initiative seeks to close a critical knowledge gap within the media at a time when international crimes, cross-border prosecutions, and hybrid court models are increasingly shaping global justice systems.
In a statement issued by the GPU, the Union emphasized that the programme is designed to equip journalists with the technical grounding needed to follow and accurately interpret the complexities of internationalized criminal courts. Participants will be exposed to the structures, standards, and legal frameworks governing special tribunals, hybrid courts, and universal jurisdiction mechanisms.
According to the organisers, the goal is not only to deepen journalists’ comprehension of how these courts operate, but also to strengthen their ability to deliver independent, reliable, and ethically sound reports to the public—particularly as more countries explore international justice for grave crimes such as war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity.
The training also underscores a broader commitment to expanding media capacity in transitional justice reporting, ensuring that citizens remain well-informed as truth-seeking and accountability processes unfold across the region and beyond.
With the rise of complex cross-jurisdictional trials and renewed attention to accountability on the global stage, the GPU’s initiative positions Gambian and regional journalists to play a more robust, responsible, and informed role in shaping public discourse on justice and the rule of law.
