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| PAN-Africa Human Rights Conference |
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News Release: Boost for campaign to end impunity and human rights violations in Gambia |
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November 7, 2007
A two-day meeting to bring to the attention of the public, the deteriorating human rights situation in the Gambia, will begin in Accra On Thursday, November 8, 2007.
The meeting, organized by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and its collaborators including, the Gambian Task Force in Ghana, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative and the West African Bar Association, is part of the campaign aimed at ending impunity and gross human rights violations that have characterized the 13-year rule of President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia.
President Jammeh has consistently shown disrespect for freedom of expression and the rule of law. Gambians continuously face threats from draconian laws, violence, disappearance, torture and death. Journalists and members of the opposition are attacked with impunity. Deyda Hydara, an ardent critic of Jammeh’s administration and editor of The Point newspaper, the only remaining truly critical independent newspaper in the country, was shot dead in December 2004. Prior to his murder, another journalist, Omar Barrow, was shot and killed by State Security in 2000, during a students’ demonstration. No arrests have been made in Connection with these murders.
Human rights abuses in The Gambia escalated in 2006 (an election year). When in March, following an announcement by the government that it had foiled a coup attempt, a number of Gambians were arrested and tortured before being released without charge. While others escaped into exile, for fear of being arrested, those living in the country continue to work underextremely difficult circumstances. Currently, Chief Ebrima Manneh, a reporter of the Daily Observer, has been held incommunicado at various undisclosed locations since July 2006.
President Jammeh once again demonstrated his total disregard for rule of law, when his government refused to cooperate with the Economic Community of West Africa’s (ECOWAS) Community Court over the arrest and subsequent disappearance of Manneh.
In October, the government arrested members of a fact-finding mission of Amnesty International and a local journalist who were in the country to assess the human rights situations in the country. The officials who had sought permission from the authorities were arrested and charged with espionage. The journalist has since fled the country, following persistent harassment from officials of the National intelligence Agency (NIA).
Issued by the MFWA, Accra. November 7, 2007
The MFWA is a regional independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Accra. It was founded in 1997 to defend and promote the rights and freedom of the media and all forms of expression.
For further information please contact:
MFWA
P.O. Box LG 730, Legon
Accra, Ghana
Tel 233-21 242470
Fax 233 -21 221084
Email:
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Website: http://www.mediafound.org
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