Article 19 Frowns at Gambia

DONATE

SUPPORT WWW.JOLLOFNEWS.COM

Article 19 Frowns at Gambia

Friday, 20 January 2012 21:17

(JollofNews) – ARTICLE 19 is appalled by the conviction and prison sentence handed to Amadou Scattred Janneh, a former Minister of Information and Communication, and six others, for distributing t-shirts calling for democratic change in the Gambia. ARTICLE 19 urges the Gambian courts to quash the conviction of Janneh and his co-accused and release them immediately.

“Printing t-shirts with political slogans is a basic form of expression. It is absurd to make this a criminal offence, let alone punish it with a prison sentence. It is also a clear violation of international standards on the right to freedom of expression that The Gambia is bound to uphold,” said Dr Agnes Callamard, ARTICLE 19 Executive Director. DR_JANNEH

“ARTICLE 19 is deeply concerned by the state of freedom of expression in The Gambia. This decision testifies to the worsening climate of censorship in the country and the urgent need to repeal its harsh media laws,” continued Callamard.

After a trial spanning several months, the Special Criminal Court of Banjul convicted and sentenced Amadou Scattred Janneh to life imprisonment for treason. Janneh was arrested and charged with two counts of treason and two counts of sedition on 7 June 2011 for printing and distributing t-shirts bearing the slogan “Coalition for Change in The Gambia, End Dictatorship Now”.

Meanwhile, Nigerian national Michael C. Ucheh Thomas, and Gambian nationals Modou Keita and Ebrima Jallow, have been convicted on two counts of seditious acts and sentenced to three years imprisonment with hard labour. Three other members of The Coalition for Change in The Gambia who are currently out of the country, Ndey Tapha Sosseh (journalist and former president of The Gambia Press Union), Mathew K. Jallow and Famara Demba, could face prosecution if they return.

Under the Gambian Criminal Code, it is a criminal offence to publish and distribute material that incites hatred, contempt or disaffection against the president or the government.
ARTICLE 19 is deeply concerned by the relentless use of seditious offences in The Gambia to silence political dissidents and government critics in clear breach of domestic and international standards of freedom of expression.

Article 25 of the Gambian Constitution guarantees freedom of speech. The Gambia is also a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, which permit restrictions on the right to freedom of expression only in very narrowly defined circumstances.

In the Gambia, seditious offences are incredibly overbroad and fail to meet those standards. They are also largely outdated and out of step with the growing number of African countries who have removed these offences from their statute book.

Two days after the sentence was passed, President Yahya Jammeh vowed to crackdown further on political opponents and journalists in a speech that was broadcast on national television.

ARTICLE 19 urges the Gambian authorities to release Janneh and his co-accused immediately. ARTICLE 19 further calls on The Gambia government to repeal the obsolete and repressive speech offences that unduly limit and suppress the fundamental right to free expression in The Gambia.

For press queries and interview requests, please contact the press office:
T: +44 (0) 20 7324 2510
E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it <mailto: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >
M: +44 (0) 7515 828 939

Comments

+7 #5 2012-01-21 12:27

Poor sanitation in that hhell of a Jail can easily claim someone else's life very easily/quickly..who knows what they put on their food, how they take clean birth, the usage of birthrooms and all those necessary human heigines a man need to live a life-free disease. A night or a day in that Jail can cause one to pay thousands of $$$ to have a proper medical checkup much more a lifetime jail. A Professor for that matter who served both Gambia and US government and non of this two countries dare have the guts to show mercy. A big shame on both Gambia judiciary and Obama administration.

Quote

+5 #4 2012-01-21 07:33

Article 19 and a thousand similar ones will not change anything.The half-educated moron will rebuff them just as he has always done.Unless the very language known to Jammeh is spoken Dr. Janneh will remain in that jail for a very long time; in fact it will be short because the deplorable conditions will not let him live for the next ten years. I repeat mere letters of this kind will not help the cause as we are not dealing with human being.

Quote

+8 #3 2012-01-21 02:26

These denunciations are a waste if time. Jammeh will not pay heed . Jammeh will only be stopped by a bullet to the head.

Quote

+6 #2 2012-01-20 22:41

Clearly...such objection from internationally renowned institutions such as Article 19....
Amnesty International...and MFWA are damaging to the reputation of Gambia.

Viewing some of the comments online...one begs the question;

Do such acts by the Gambian justice system.. further the cause of peace and stability in Gambia?

Or do they place the citizenship of Gambia at a much higher rate of outrage and dissatisfaction with government/

Dr Janneh...is a professor /graduate and naturalised US citizen...who returned to Gambia to contribute his quota to national development.

To hold an opinion that is different is no crime....in the United States

The Gambian government and its Laws cannot hold two different points of view.

Law must advance freedom of expression or

or it must completely disown it.

Article 19's reference to this conundrum is highly intuitive.

Quote