Gambianaffairs Publisher Determined To Expose Human Rights Violations In The Gambia

Saikou Ceesay Say Over 30 Gambians Are Currently Missing Under Jammeh’s Watch!!!

Listen to audio interview with Ceesay http://www.box.net/shared/qhiodby8vz    

"Pa, we seek for publication on your widely read newspaper"

The Gambia affairs blog team of journalists in The Gambia will continue to monitor and work provide reliable, accurate and timely information on human rights issues  on the blog for public consumption.

 To give you background information of the blog, it was established on the 26 May 2008 with the help of two Danish Journalists Kim Jensen and Morten Pape a photojournalist, both working for Horsens Falkblad Newspaper in Denmark.Since then they have been serving as contributors to the site with partners in Norway.

As a human rights journalists in The Gambia, The team members of Gambiaaffairs blog coordinated by Saikou Ceesay deemed it necessary to unearth rights violation taking place in the country and Africa as a whole. Since its inception in May 2008 human rights journalists have been launching its advocacy moves of human rights violation to the wider world through the blog.

We believe that in a country voices resides in the people and that they should decide their destiny. The blog is aim to speak for the voiceless and the vulnerable in our communities through defending their fundamental human rights.

"The voices of the people must have authority to determine the policies and programs of government which manage their affairs. As a democratic society, we must be seen to be transparent and accountable to the masses. The Gambia Affairs blog aims to be the vehicle on which the Gambian people can travel towards greater transparency, and a just society”, said Saikou Ceesay.

Madi Njie, the Chairperson of Network of Human Rights Journalists association is a co-founder of the site, who has been and is still contributing a great deal in ensuring the promotion of human rights.

"We are participating fully in combating human  rights violations taking in The Gambia and the continent as a whole through Gambiaaffairs blog “explained Mr. Njie.

"I believe there cannot be peace and tranquility in this world if human rights are not respected. We cannot continue to live under situations where human and people's rights are not respected, and violated on daily basis. Human society must uphold the principles of honoring all rights, and value right for life, as God Himself loves all lives that is why He created it, and takes care of all lives.

"There is no doubt that our own African leaders committed themselves to the promotion and protection of human and people's rights, resulting in the creation of the African Charter by the then AOU, now AU, which establish the African Commission on Human and People's, mandated to promote and protect human and people's rights. One is left to wonder if all these efforts were done by our own African leaders, and many of them are now regarded as worst human rights violators. We have seen, of recent, reports of human rights and press freedom violations across the continent, which of course affects The Gambia. We need a change for the better.

"I hope that with continued collaboration and partnership from all and sundry, we will realize a change. Human rights is for everyone, and we all must embrace it as ours, if we should move forward in peace and stability," said Mr. Njie.

We are today calling on the government of The Gambia to release all the detainees or take them before a court of law. This act is not in line with the country's constitutional provision which states that nobody should be detained for more than 72 hours without being taken before a court of law or release on bail.