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Justice Minister threatens prosecution for journalists & rights defenders abroad
Monday, 10 January 2011 22:20
JollofNews - Gambia’s Justice Minister has lived up to expectation as a member
of President Yahya Jammeh’s government, promising retribution for critics of the regime based abroad.Edward Gomez, who threatened prosecution for Gambians bent on criticizing the government from
abroad anytime they returned to the country, was speaking in an interview with the Banjul based Daily News, as published in that paper’s January 10th online edition, captioned: “Justice Minister Warns Gambians abroad of Backlash For ‘Denigration’”. In the article, the minister accused Gambian journalists and human rights campaigners based outside of smearing the country’s image.“These are unfortunately evil members of the Gambian society who took refuge abroad putting every nonsensical story on papers and on radios to tarnish the good image of The Gambia government,” he cursed.
“We will wait here for them to come,” he added, stressing that those concerned are only safe as long as they continue to remain outside the country.
Edward Gomez joined Yahya Jammeh’s government in March last year, in a minor cabinet reshuffle, replacing Marie Saine-Fridaus as Attorney-General and Minister of Justice.
From a low key and almost unheard of legal practitioner, Gomez has since his appointment as Minister jealously guarded the baton of defending the highly contentious human rights records of the Gambian government which is engrossed in series of allegations of maltreatment of its citizens, including torture, extrajudicial killings, unlawful detention of political opponents, among others.
His present statement amounts to an official declaration that Gambians involved in human rights campaigns risk persecution on return to the country. It is reminiscent of President Jammeh’s highly condemned statement a little over a year ago, declaring war against human rights defenders.
Owing to the highly restrictive nature of the media environment in Gambia, these allegations often feature only on online papers operated from outside the country. These are what the Justice Minister refer to as engaging on “painting a grim picture” of the country’s human rights record.
“I as the Attorney General and Minister of Justice will defend the image and integrity of the government to the heel and I want to make it clear that my government will not and does not subscribe to these malicious and evil fabrications against us”, he was quoted by the Daily News.
The Gambian Justice Minister had some unreserved scornful remarks for Britain, whose MPs’ recent move in signing an ‘Early Day Motion’ calling for international pressure on the Gambia government for human rights violations sparked this debate. A Scotland based human rights group, Campaign for Human Rights in The Gambia, UK, championed by a an exiled Gambian journalist, Alieu B. Ceesay, have been involved in a campaign of awareness raising of alleged human rights violations in his home country.Justice Minister Edward Gomez described the Early Day Motion signed by 24 British MPs as ‘shameful and unfortunate.’ Further describing the Scotland based rights campaigners as enemies of progress and development, he dismissed allegations of torture, detention without trial, among other rights violations allegedly committed by Yahya Jammeh’s regime as mere speculations and unfounded truths beyond imagination.
Interestingly, however, his denial comes less than a month after the Gambian government was found guilty by a sub regional court, the ECOWAS Community Court, of torture and illegal detention, in a protracted case filed on behalf of another Gambian journalist, now exiled, who was subjected to some of the worst acts of torture meted out to critics of the regime since 1994.
“Countless number of people are residing in the UK who virtually lack all these rights which the British MPs never attempted to address but can seat over the fence to talk about the fundamental rights of Gambians. How many people are living in UK today who are feeding from the dustbins and sleeping in train stations which the British MP’s never talk about,” Minister Gomez said.
He charged that the 24 British MP’s who signed the Early Day Motion had never visited Gambia, and that their decision wasn’t based on any substantive information…other than assertions from dissident Gambians abroad who are “anything less than enemies of the state and the administration of president Jammeh.”
This Minister’s threat to prosecute Gambians runs counter to a recent pronouncement of his to leaders of regional media groups, indicating a readiness on the part of his government to cooperate with the struggling Gambian media. He told a delegation comprising representatives from the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), the West African Journalists Association (WAJA), ARTICLE 19, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), among other senior journalists rights advocacy organizations, that during his term in office no journalist will be denied his/her legal rights. The minister went on to commit that the Gambian government was prepared to take forward the started dialogue and promised to look into laws and their provisions which are hostile to press freedom in line with international standard of free expression.
“Today the Gambia government has made it official that Gambians who are fighting for human rights in Gambia will be arrested and prosecuted if they step in Gambia,” Alieu B Ceesay, Campaign Officer of the UK based Campaign for human rights in the Gambia, said in an email response to JollofNews. “Without any coincidence I have been singled out for arrest and prosecution for simply standing up for fundamental human rights in The Gambia.
According to Alieu, it’s appalling that the Justice Minister continue to refute “the dismal human rights record of this government,” while “credible international institutions such as Amnesty International, the US State Department, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office have all produced reports on Human Rights in Gambia.”
These institutions, he added, “are not in any business of propaganda.” The Gambian rights activists vowed to continue “to consult and confer with our partners and others to ensure that Gambia government respects international law and the constitution of the West African country.”
Ceesay concluded by thanking all those who send messages of support to the Campaign for Human Rights in Gambia UK expressing solidarity with the campaign.
“... The international community must be aware of this development against us,” he said.
Written By Kemo Cham
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Comments
For real, I am highly educated which began in St Augustine, jumping over the fence to Gambia high and remembered that ugly smelly big mouth of yahya rolling his Gambia high’s exercise red book thinking he is a professor in his small primitive brain. Yes, education is very important. Its provide one with a mind-set to reason, question, debate, and allow change in one's environment for the better. We will never ever develop with the like of Yahya Jammeh in Gambia.
For so called "J4life", I’m just trying to expose the "ungambianness" in this ungodly, primitive and dirty culture of this SICK MAN and we can clearly see the type of people “ruling” or hijacking poor Gambians. I dont if he have family, but he is inhuman 4 Gambia. I really feel pity for his wife and children if he got any.He is sick for real
Your mother must have done a good job fostering you in the casamance bush to put a school in Gambia. What have you learned about human righs and humanity in those schools you build?
You will be seeking asylum very soon, you ignorant bastard.The winds of change are blowing.You can say what you like behind your computer screen.I live here in the Gambia.You better pack your things and watch out.
Now you think you have taken Gambia from its ingenious people? I am watching
So now, bad cows, it is now easy for you to seek for asylum and be treated as slaves and rotten rats in the streets of UK and the west.
So have fun in seeking for asylum and we do not keep a dam of it. yea!
YOU LOT, CONSTANTLY POUR INSULTS ON WESTERN COUNTRIES, YET, WITH YOUR TAILS BETWEEN YOUR LEGS, YOU GO BACK TO THE VERY WESTERN GOVERNMENTS THAT YOU CONSTANTLY INSULT, BEGGING FOR ALLLLL SORTS OF "AID".????
HOW CAN ONE RECONCILE THE TWO.???.
THE GAMBIA'S, "CLOWN KNIG", SHOULD aLSO, CONSTANTLY GO ON AIR AND INFORM THESE "WESTERN GOVERNMENTS", THAT HE MERCILESSY SLAGS TO COVER HIS BACKSIDE, THAT THEY SHOULD STOP GIVING THEM "AID", OR ANY FORM OF "aSSISTANCE"!!???. WHEN HE DOES SO, THE WHOLE WORLD WOULD BELIEVE WHATEVER SHAMELESS POPAGANDA THE GOVERNMENT COME OUT WITH.
NEVER SEEN SUCH "LIARS", "LOW LIVES", "HYPORCRITES" "ESTEEM BANKRUPT",IN ALLLLLL MY LIFE.!!
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