Gambia: Correction of President Carter's Comments on The Gambia
Carter Center
(Atlanta)
PRESS RELEASE
August 24, 2006
Posted to the web August 24, 2006
The
Carter Center regrets The Daily Observer's selective citation of a
private letter from former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to President
Yahya Jammeh, giving readers the false impression that President Carter
supports President Jammeh and his policies.
Daily Observer's Saja Taal caught pants down-The Observer is the real hate site.
Observer's
misinformation is getting out of hand. Trying to misrepresent a former US
President, this is too much. The Observer should call it quits. This is
not journalism. You don't put words into people's mouth.
President
Carter, as a private individual who supports grass roots human rights
defenders throughout the world, often will communicate his concerns
about specific human rights violations in confidential letters to Heads
of State. On occasion, this can allow for a respectful exchange and
exploration of remedies. The Carter Center does not release these
letters. In this case, a pro-government newspaper came into possession
of one such letter and chose to reprint the single favorable sentence
in which President Carter congratulated President Jammeh for hosting
the recent African Union summit.
If The Daily
Observer had accurately reported the full content of the July 24
letter, the Gambian public would have learned of President Carter's
concerns about the deteriorating human rights situation in their
country. In particular, President Carter asked President Jammeh to
help ensure the fair trial or release of Ms. Mariam Denton, a human
rights lawyer and Amnesty International Prisoner of Conscience who was
arrested in April 2006 and had been held for months without charge
before being released. We were encouraged to learn that the government
does not apparently intend to pursue any charges against her and hope
this begins a clear shift in government policy that will now allow
human rights defenders to work without fear of reprisals.
Ten
years ago, The Carter Center issued a public statement, expressing
concern that "human rights abuses [are casting] a pall over the
political process." At that time, the Center called on the Jammeh-led
government to take steps to protect human rights and promote peace and
good elections. With elections due next month, it is with regret that
we feel it necessary to repeat this concern.