Amnesty International Calls For Action Against Human Rights Violations In Gambia

November 11, 2008 12:41 p.m. EST

Abuja, Gambia (AHN) - It is time for African leaders and the international community to join forces in pressuring Gambian authorities to stop using their security forces to repress citizens, Amnesty International said Tuesday.

The call to action accompanied the release of Amnesty's report on the dismal human rights situation in Gambia. And releasing the report was timed to coincide with the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights meeting being held in Abuja, Nigeria Nov. 10 to 24.

During Gambia President Yahya Jammeh's 14 years of ruling the nation, there have been six thwarted coup attempts. The last attempt in March 2006 resulted in the arrests of at least 59 people. But at least 30 of those people were detained unlawfully without charge and subjected to unfair trials, torture or even extrajudicially executed.

The report titled "Gambia: Fear rules," was based on interviews conducted with victims of human rights abuses. The report documents many of the human rights violations by the army and other government security agencies that were used to stifle dissent in the country, along with the government's disrespect for the rule of law.

Conditions are so bad that lawyers are afraid to take on human rights cases and the media self-censors itself out of fear of reprisals as well.

One human rights defender said, "Once you are arrested [in Gambia], you are out of the protection of the law and are subject to all kinds of human rights violations from the police, the army, and the National Intelligence Agency," according to Amnesty International.

Along with urging the African Commission to adopt a resolution that would help end torture, arrests and killings by the local security forces, Amnesty International is also urging African leaders to pressure Gambia to end impunity for human rights violations in the country.

Amnesty International is also calling on the government to investigate allegations of human rights abuses, make the findings public and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Other organizations, including two non-governmental, non-profit organizations, have joined Amnesty International in the call for action to end human rights abuses in Gambia.

Those organizations are the Lagos, Nigeria-based Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, which promotes accountability in human rights, and the London, England-based Centre for Democracy and Development, which mobilizes global opinion for democratic development.