Gambia L Members,
I culled this very interesting piece of information from the Independent
newspaper of the Gambia about the global humiliation our country is about to
face if those leaders do not put their acts together.I hope the government
will take this body seriously because I believe their cry is the cry off all
citizens of the Gambia today, where civil servants are threatened with
dismissal under no basis,illegal detentions,and massive looting of poor tax
payers money just to name a few.


Gambia Government under fire
As Commonwealth decries human rights record

The government of President Yahya Jammeh has been seriously lambasted at the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Durban, South Africa.
Both human rights activists and the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group
(CMAG) criticised the Gambian Government for 'gross human rights violations,
political incorrectness and lack of freedom for the press' amongst other
things.

According to the CMAG report submitted before CHOGM, the Jammeh
administration had violated the Harare principles, contravening good
governance and democratic practices. The report highlighted Decree 89 that
banned former politicians from the ousted Jawara regime from participating
in politics. It also highlighted military decrees that violate the
constitution or international legal obligations. CMAG further submitted that
while constitutional rule had returned, The Gambia's status is deeply
compromised by the continued existence on the statute books of archaic laws
and repressive military decrees and restrictions and harassment of
opposition activists.

Several cases were reported including the closure by the government of
Citizen FM radio station in February 1998, the sacking of two leading
journalists Demba Jawo and Theophilus George and the purchase of the Daily
Observer by a businessman believed to be close to the government.

The temporary closure of The Independent newspaper in August 1999 and the
detention of its editors were assessed as politically motivated action by
the report. The detention of Alieu Badara Sowe in September 1999 was also
highlighted.

Article 19, a London based human rights organisation, also urged CMAG to put
pressure on the Government of The Gambia to improve its compliance with the
Harare principles and further urged CMAG to send a high level mission to
review the human rights situation in The Gambia. Article 19 further urged
international donors to use their influence with the Gambia Government to
ensure that the National Communication and Information Policy fully accords
with international standards before providing financial assistance for its
implementation. Article 19 further recommended to CMAG that the Gambia
Government be required to repeal those military decrees which violate the
constitution or international legal obligations; end all harassment of
journalists including periodic threats to deport non-Gambians as journalists
and opposition activists; allow Citizen FM radio to resume broadcasting
immediately and return all equipment confiscated from the owners in 1998,
commit itself to creating a National Communication and Information Policy
(NACIP) which fully accords with international standards and not establish
regulatory bodies such as the National Media Commission until such time as
the NACIP policy is in place. They further urged that the government commit
itself to guaranteeing, by law, the editorial and operational independence
of the Gambia Radio and Television Services.

Don Mckinnon, the newly elected Commonwealth Secretary-General, told
journalists that The Gambia still remained in the books of CMAG.  He also
said specifically that Decree 89 contravened good governance, and is
'undemocratic'.  He urged the Jammeh government to review all military
decrees.

Kaye Whiteman, the Commonwealth's summit spokesperson said at a press
briefing that President Jammeh had extended an invitation to CMAG to visit
The Gambia and assess its human rights and democratic practices.

*** photo caption:Don Mckinnon will take over as Secretary General of the
Commonwealth in 2000..

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