Geneva Rights Conference Frowns At Jammeh’s Killing Spree

Nigerian Nationals Reportedly Killed By Jammeh’s Gov’t !!!

As Gov’t Delegates Received Embarrassing Reception

By Pa Nderry M’Bai, Raleigh NC

Gambian officials attending the United Nations human rights conference held in Geneva received a humiliating reception—as delegates openly deplored President Yahya Jammeh’s lack of respect for human rights and the rule of law. The Gambia is also coming under increasing attacks by rights groups for its failure to corporate with the global body to furnish them with information about  persons—notably journalist Ebrima Chief Manneh, Ex Intelligence Chief Daba Marena, Kaniyba Kanyi and a score of other political prisoners—believed to have been secretly executed by the Jammeh Government.  One such rights organization clamping down on the Jammeh administration is the UK based Amnesty International—who are seeking an explanation from the Banjul delegates about the plight of the missing detainees.

“Amnesty International (AI) stated that it received reports of journalists becoming victims of enforced disappearance.  AI, Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and IP/IPA/IoC highlighted the case of Chief Ebrima Manneh, a reporter at the government-owned Daily Observer, who was reportedly arrested in July 2006 by National Intelligence Agents and has not been seen since,” said a statement issued by Amnesty prior to the conference.

The Gambia under the leadership of President Yahya Jammeh—who is believed to be mentally insane has also been accused at the Geneva conference, which started in earnest today Wednesday by right groups of “kidnapping”  a good number of Nigerian Immigrants resident in The Gambia. Some of the missing Nigerians have been feared death, as there is no word at this hour about their whereabouts, since their abduction during President Jammeh’s so called witchcraft hunting exercise last year.

The move followed the sudden demise of President Jammeh’s Aunty—whose death was blamed to witchcrafts in the country. The Government in retaliation seized close to one thousand people, some of whom were Nigerians. The detainees were brutally tortured before they were forced to drink a poisonous local champ liquid—which tend to have aggravated their health conditions. The unlucky ones died in the hands of Gambia’s security forces led by one Solo Bojang—a close relative of the President.

As the news of the Nigerian kidnapping in The Gambia stunned the Banjul delegates, the United Nations and the Nigerian authorities are being urged to help mount pressure on the Jammeh administration to help account for their missing nationals—including perceived political opponents in The Gambia.

The murder of Gambia’s most outspoken and respectable journalist Deyda Hydara also dominated the conference’s agenda. Delegates strongly lamented about Jammeh’s lack of seriousness to investigate and bring to book those behind the killing of the journalist. Fingers are being pointed at the Gambian Government in regards to the journalist’s demise.

AI indicated that special units within the NIA, as well as the President’s personal protection officers and members of the army and the police allegedly tortured or ill-treated detainees. Torture and other ill-treatment are used to obtain information, as punishment and to extract confessions to use as evidence in court. AI provided specific examples of 10 military personnel and five civilians tortured while in detention further to the 2006 alleged coup attempt. The MFWA also reported on complaints of torture made by journalists, who had been detained at either the NIA headquarters or the Mile Two Prison, said the Al statement.

Concerns were also raised about the marginalization of women in The Gambia.  For example, SRI reported that, although the Married Women's Property Act gives married women the right to own their property and an equal capacity to enter into contracts, customs and traditions continue to be a bar to the enjoyment of these rights by married women. Land is usually administered by male family heads. Inheritance matters are usually settled on the basis of customary or Shari'a law, whereby women get a smaller proportion of the property. SRI recommended that the government take measures to ensure that the capacity of a woman to own property is not restricted on the basis of her marital status or other discriminatory grounds.

President Jammeh’s threat to behead suspected gays in the country also dominated the conference’s agenda. Gay activists have condemned Mr. Jammeh’s statement—describing it as irresponsible and undemocratic.

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) reported that, in the Gambia, homosexual conduct is criminalized in the 1965 Criminal Code and that those found guilty of such acts can be imprisoned for up to 14 years. IGLHRC also reported that, in 2008 and 2009, the President of the Gambia called for violence and discrimination and expulsion of „homosexuals‟, and called for them to be expelled from their dwellings, Amnesty reported in a statement.

According to the Amnesty statement, “The Trade Union Congress (TUC) was disturbed by homophobic comments by the Gambian Head of State and strongly condemned arbitrary arrests of citizens alleged to have engaged in homosexual practices. IGLHRC recommended that the Gambia bring its legislation into conformity with its international human rights obligations by repealing all provisions criminalizing sexual activity between consenting adults, and by ensuring non-discrimination by ensuring access to adequate housing and freedom from or remedies for forced evictions, or the threat of forced evictions on the basis of sexual orientation.”

The Geneva rights conference is expected to issue a declaration compelling countries such as The Gambia to cease the gross rights violations against its citizens and chart way forward for a just and democratic Gambia.