Following is the petition developed by The Movement
For The Restoration Of Democracy In The Gambia which
we are using as we prepare for the New York
Demonstration before the Gambian Mission and the
United Nations on May 2, 2000.  We welcome all fellow
Gambia-L's to utilize this petition in our concerted
campaign to stop the atrocities taking place in The
Gambia.  This document (word document) has also been
attached to this e-mail for those members wishing to
download and print out for easy distribution.  We will
also forward the fact sheet and flyer as inline text
and as an attachment as well.
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PETITION                               PETITION

MOVEMENT FOR THE RESTORATION
OF DEMOCRACY IN THE GAMBIA
1920 Walton Avenue, Suite 5B
Bronx, New York  10453
Tel/Fax:  (718) 842-6162

THE MOVEMENT FOR THE RESTORATION FOR DEMOCRACY IN THE
GAMBIA sorrowfully announces the murder of Gambian
Students by The Gambian Army and Paramilitary on 10
and 11 April 2000 in violation of International Human
Rights and Constitutional Rights.  Gambian students
have an inalienable and entrenched right under the
1997 Constitution, Section 25(d) to "freedom to
assemble and demonstrate peaceably and without arms."
These rights are echoed and guaranteed under the
African Charter and under the United Nations'
International Convention on Civil and Political
Rights.

¨ The student demonstration was organized by the
Gambian Students Union (GAMSU) in Banjul, Brikama and
other towns to protest the torture and death of
19-year-old student, Ebrima Barry on 9 March by
Brikama Fire Service personnel, and the rape of
13-year-old Binta Manneh by a police officer, on 10
March 2000.

¨ GAMSU requested a permit for the intended peaceful
demonstration, which was denied, yet the Department of
State for the Interior issued a press release
"threatening any student who dared to disturb the
peace."

¨ When students assembled in front of the Gambian
Technical Training Institute on April 10th to march to
the city center, Paramilitary Units menacingly ordered
the students to disperse, then proceeded to chase,
kick and stomp on the heads of falling students and
then finally shooting indiscriminately into the crowd.

¨ President Yahya Jammeh administration's directive to
utilize live ammunition to quell the student
demonstration resulted in the slaughter of a minimum
of 14 people (reports indicate that as many as 50
persons have been murdered).  Omar Barrow, a
journalist at SUD FM Radio, Banjul, was murdered by
paramilitary personnel while serving as a readily
identifiable Red Cross volunteer assisting the wounded
and dying.

¨ A minimum of 128 students and other persons have
been injured, many requiring hospitalization.  Due to
poor medical facilities, many of the injured require
life saving medical treatment outside of the country.
Royal Victoria Hospital has indicated that there is a
shortage of blood and that the situation is
disastrous.  Among the wounded is a 3-year old child
lying in the hospital with a bullet in his head.
Doctors in the Gambia do not have the necessary
facilities to perform the required life saving
operation for him.

¨ Numerous students are missing, including Alhaji
Darbo, Vice President of GAMSU and Alieu Khan,
President of the College Students Sub-Union.  Hundreds
of students continue to be rounded up for questioning,
arrested and detained at undisclosed locations
throughout The Gambia.  Distraught parents do not know
whether their children are among the dead or detained.

¨ Reports have been received that the government is
refusing to turn over the bodies of murdered students
to their families.  In addition, the government has
not made available to the public, identification of
all individuals presently being detained, nor account
for missing persons.

THE MOVEMENT FOR THE RESTORATION FOR DEMOCRACY IN THE
GAMBIA consisting of Gambians, Africans (Continental
and Diaspora), and Concerned Friends of The Gambia ask
for an immediate investigation into the atrocities and
human rights violations that continue to plague The
Gambia.  Your support and advocacy is needed to insure
that the following actions/reactions relative to The
Gambian Government take effect:

¨ Express concern as to the human rights violations
and excessive force utilized by Gambian security
forces in interrupting constitutionally guaranteed
student demonstrations, 10 and 11 April 2000;

¨ Return the country to an atmosphere of peace and
respect for all persons, and to immediately end the
destruction of public and private property;

¨ Mandate that all security forces abide by the United
Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and
Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, which states
that "the intentional lethal use of firearms may only
be made when strictly unavoidable in order to protect
life";

¨ Initiate a full and impartial investigation into the
pattern of security force violence and urge that all
governmental personnel responsible for human rights
violations be immediately brought to justice;

¨ Insist on an immediate full, independent and
impartial investigation regarding the torture and
murder of Ebrima Barry by Brikama Fire Service
personnel, the rape of 13 year old Binta Manneh by a
police officer, and the "line of duty" death of Omar
Barrow, journalist and Red Cross volunteer during the
student massacre;

¨ Restoration of basic rights of free speech and
assembly and immediately terminate all arbitrary
arrests, suspicious detentions and indiscriminate and
unlawful assaults;

¨ Insure that all personnel found to be responsible in
the above-cited cases are charged and brought to
justice without further delay;

¨ Immediate public access to accurate and verifiable
information on the number of deaths and those
individuals who are presently detained or missing;

¨ Immediate release of all persons that have been
arrested or detained following this incident;

¨ Immediate release of all bodies to families for
burial; and

¨ Immediate cessation of Government mass burials.

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Return to: MOVEMENT FOR THE RESTORATION OF DEMOCRACY
IN
           THE GAMBIA, 1920 Walton Avenue - Suite 5B,
           Bronx, New York  10453



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