Freedom House in the February 2026 general election. More than 280 journalists, some of whom work for online outlets, faced politicized charges as of May 2026, with most cases linked to coverage of the 2024 uprising perceived to be too favorable toward the AL. In December 2025, rumors spread online that accused Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, the country’s two most prominent independent media outlets, of pro-India sentiment—shorthand used as a signifier of support for Hasina—and mobs attacked their offices, burning down the buildings and endangering the journalists who worked there. The Gambia continued its long-term trajectory of democratic gains in the aftermath of the ouster of Yahya Jammeh nearly a decade ago. The environment for online expression continued to improve, as Gambian officials worked with civil society to loosen the censorship framework of the Jammeh era. While bloggers and online journalists occasionally reported arrests or violence in retaliation for their work in recent years, no such incidents were reported during the coverage period. Separately, the government of President Adama Barrow passed a landmark data-protection law in December 2025, marking another significant legal reform as the Gambia rebuilds its democratic institutions. Improvements in Bangladesh showcase the gains brought by a mass mobilization reversing long-standing practices of digital repression, though significant challenges to a sustainable democratic transition remain for the country’s new government, which assumed power after the longtime opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party won the February 2026 election. The Gambia, which notched steep improvements in the immediate aftermath of the postJammeh transition, offers a model of such an effort. The country’s recent trajectory reflects steady efforts to repair its democratic institutions, and offers a lesson in how longterm internet freedom improvements require sustained investment and collaboration with civil society. The Gambia’s steady efforts to repair its democratic institutions offer a lesson in how long-term internet freedom improvements require sustained investment and collaboration with civil society. freedomhouse.org 15