[JURIST] Gambian prosecutors on Thursday charged 10 men, including top military officials, with conspiring to overthrow the government of President Yahya Jammeh [official website]. The prosecution claims the men procured arms and troops [BBC report] in anticipation of a military coup. Eight of the ten men charged have been under arrest [AFP report] since November.

Last week, an opposition official complained of frequent incidents of indefinite detention [BBC report] of citizens, including government officials, without charges being filed. In February, Gambia ordered an envoy [Afrol report] from UNICEF [official website] to leave the country. Last September, Jammeh threatened to kill human rights workers [Newstime Africa] who threatened to destabilize his regime. Also in September, Jammeh pardoned six journalists [BBC report] who had been jailed for criticizing him. In 2006, 10 military officers were sentenced to jail [BBC report] for planning to overthrow Jammeh.