Senator Durbin Presses Gambia on Chief Ebrima Manneh

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Senator Durbin Presses Gambia on Chief Ebrima Manneh

Thursday, 03 November 2011 22:30

Sen. Dick Durbin

(Enewpf) - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter yesterday to the Gambian Attorney General, Edward Gomez, requesting information about Chief Ebrima Manneh, a Gambian journalist who has been missing for more than five years. According to recent comments by Attorney General Gomez, Manneh, who many worried had died while in Gambian custody, is alive.
“I am writing to request immediate information regarding Chief Ebrima Manneh, a Gambian journalist with the Daily Observer who has been missing since a

Sen. Dick_Durbin (Photo CNSNews)

troubling detention by Gambian security personnel more than five years ago. In light of your recent comments claiming that Manneh is alive -- a stark contrast from previous Gambian government silence and denials regarding his whereabouts -- I ask that you immediately provide any information regarding Manneh’s location and condition,” Durbin wrote to AG Gomez.“If Chief Manneh is, in fact, alive, and you do have knowledge of his whereabouts, helping to resolve his disappearance could add credibility to your recent comments at the 50th session of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, during which you spoke of the need to “speak out against human rights abuses.” Sadly, without an immediate accounting for Mr. Manneh, those words will ring hollow in Gambia and around the world.”
Durbin also wrote to British Foreign Secretary William Hague, expressing his strong support for the United Kingdom’s role in investigating Chief Manneh’s case.
Durbin wrote; “I respectfully ask you to investigate Chief Manneh’s disappearance and urge you to continue to press the Gambian government to respect its international commitments as a member of both the UN and the Commonwealth in this case.”
Chief Manneh was reportedly detained in July 2006 for political reasons by plainclothes police officers thought to have been from the Gambian National Intelligence Agency. Some reports suggest that he has being held at the Fatoto Police Station in eastern Gambia, at Mile Two Prison, or a National Intelligence Agency compound in Serekunda. In July 2007, he was also reportedly escorted by members of the Gambian Police Intervention Unit to the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital in Banjul for high blood pressure treatment. He has not been seen since.
Both the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Community Court of Justice and the UN Human Rights Council’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention have called for the immediate release of Mr. Manneh.
Durbin, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, has been pressing for Chief Manneh’s release for several years.

Related Files:

Letter to Gambian Attorney General (Download PDF)
Letter to the United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary (Download PDF)

Comments

0 #13 2011-11-17 22:58

We all know that the Law of the States, does not allow a "Senator" to be involve in the affairs of another country much more a single case like Manneh's.

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0 #12 2011-11-13 22:16

Just beware of scams...And know that opening emails can infect your computer and compromise essential data.

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-1 #11 2011-11-13 11:26

My fellow Gambians,the contents on this article is false.

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-5 #10 2011-11-12 14:59

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+4 #9 2011-11-09 23:23

This is a very disturbing situation... Chief Ebrima Manneh'S family deserve to know where he is. An independent enquiry should be set up to investigate his way about.. Gambia is a democratic nation and is essential for the country to uphold it democratic values.. This administration has accomplished numerous milestone to their credit but one essential aspect of governing a democratic nation, is respecting it citizen's civil liberty.. Obviously Jammeh's adminstration need a major improvement on that front.. A real democracy can not exist without freedom of speech...

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+4 #8 2011-11-04 23:42

Gambians have this tendency to only see the truth when it is they that are directly affected by unpleasant circumstances.

This is a great cause for concern today because clearly,never in the history of our country have we had such negative attention focused on the LEADERSHIP of our country over the rights of our citizens.

If it takes a US Senator to highlight our problems,so what? Our own opposition only seems to come alive when elections are looming,electio ns which they always manage to lose!!

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-1 #7 2011-11-04 22:37

Paulo
My brother Israel got the license to kill and even jail human right defenders and we see no pressure on them. Shameless politicians would ignore this and continue to attack other governments pretending to be honest people. How many letters has he written for action against Israel? Innocent people are found in secret jails all over the world but this is different because his government got the licenses to do so. It will be best if the thorns in his backyard are weeded first. Rubbish and hypocrite politician who is looking for popularity. You think these double standards are the ways to serve humanity?

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+2 #6 2011-11-04 21:53

dick!
who are you to write to the gambian authorities?
a better place to start is in ur own backyard:
- how many innocent african-americans are waiting in ur jails to face the electric chair or gas chamber?

- is the guantanamo bay page closed?

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-5 #5 2011-11-04 15:41

Despite all the "development" that Gaddafi brought to Libya, he got a bullet in the head, Why? Because the missing key ingredient was freedom and dignity that is the BASIC right of every human being, was totally denied the people of Libya for over 4 decades!!

Is there a parallel here with Jammeh's case? You bet there is!! The man copied Gaddafi right down to the ubiquitous green flag fluttering all over Gambia, not to mention the terror tactics of the Libya-trained NIA thugs at his beck and call.
All the ingredients for civil unrest have been prepared by this man and the next few months and years will definitely decide which direction Gambia will take.

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+6 #4 2011-11-04 13:51

"heavy weight" stuff from Dick Durbin.

Edu Gomez...has put his head "in the diplomatic noose" with his meandering statement... that he knows that Chief Manneh is alive. His further contribution intimateing that Manneh is in the USA...does not appear to "hold water" with this "heavyweight" American human/civil rights senater.

President Jammeh can no longer ignore Attourney General Gomez's statements, presumably on behalf of The Gambian Government.

The British/Commonwealth position is that they would prefer an independant international investigation...into Chief Manneh's..."disapperance"

President Jammeh...must now support Justice Minister Gomez or reject his claims.

In the absence of any statement from President Jammeh.

The International interest in this case, could consider a referrel to the ICC.

This is too long an avoidable argument.

opinion.

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