Breaking News:U.N. Human Rights Council Members Elected-Gambia fails rights test?
By: Staff Writer
Tiny Gambia under the leadership of President Yahya Jammeh is being isolated day by the day. Our country is no longer commanding respect in the global world due to the country’s worsening human rights and rule of law crisis. On Wednesday, the United Nations General Assembly elected 47 nations to serve on the world body’s Human Rights Council.
JAMMEH FAILS RIGHTS TEST ONCE AGAIN-THE GAMBIA BECOMING ISOLATED DAY BY THE DAY!!!
But to the surprise of many observers Gambia’s name never featured on that list. African countries and some European nations such as Gabon, Ghana, Mali, Zambia, Pakistan, Japan, Sri Lanka, Republic of Korea, Romania, Ukraine, Brazil, Guatemala, Peru, the United Kingdom and France are still serving this important body.
Gambia’s non membership to this leading organization is a cause for concern. This is a government that brags that its human rights record was best in Africa, but in reality this far from what obtains on the ground.
Last week Gambia’s Justice Minister Sheik Tijan Hydara told delegates attending human rights forum at the Kairaba Hotel that the country’s human rights records was excellent.” I can say with pride and conviction that our human rights record, when compared to other countries, is excellent," adding: "This does not however mean that we cannot improve on it."
President Wade is a democrat, unlike Jammeh. Jammeh can be best compared with his late brother Idi Amin Dada.
Minister Hydara who was indicted for massive corruption and abuse of office by the Paul Commission that was set up by President Jammeh to probe corrupt public official went on to add” When you visit our prisons, you will find convicted prisoners who are sentenced to death but are still there, breathing and eating without the trauma of thinking when and where they will be executed. These are prisoners who were tried in one way or the other, or were directly or indirectly involved in subversive activities capable of destabilizing the peace and national security of this country. In other countries, they would have been beheaded since, but we say no. Instead, we took them before a competent court, where they were tried and convicted and sentenced to death. But we did not carry it out, even though we have in our laws death penalty. How can anybody then say that human rights are not respected in The Gambia? There was an attempted coup that was foiled. It has been investigated
within a very short period of time. They have been arraigned before a court and trial has commenced, though the case has been adjourned until May 10 2006."
Overall, these are fine words coming from the mouth of a state minister, but the billion dollar question is: Why was Gambia’s name excluded from the UN rights council members? Is this government telling us that they were not interested about the membership and as such never bothered to apply? Or they just don’t possess the qualifications to be part of that body?
Minister Hydara’s arguments are rendered counter productive if this government cannot secure to be a member of this important body. The Gambia, has witnessed a lot of atrocities under Yahya’s watch and the UN is aware of Gambia’s rule of law and rights crisis. This government is good at building defense, but we do not think that they can succeed this time around to come up with any convincing story to black mail Gambians.
Under Jammeh’s rule, Gambians lost their values and cherished freedoms. This West African country has been reduced to a police state. Abductions, arrest, illegal detentions, torture, disappearances and murder has been a common routine. The government succeeded in instilling fear into the minds of citizens.
In a recent report, Amnesty International deplored the growing human rights crisis in The Gambia. This came in the wake of mass arrest of top military officers and civilians accused of coup plot. The detainees were denied the right to have access to their lawyers, families and bail. Most local lawyers are afraid to announce representation for their clients following threats that they might be added to the government's list of accomplices. Fire brand leading Gambian female lawyer Mariam Denton attempted to represent her client Tamsir Jasseh, a coup suspect and was arrested. Lawyer Denton has also been denied access to her lawyers led by opposition leader Ousainou Darboe.
Under such an appalling human rights situation The Gambia is not fit to associate itself with such an important organization. Our government is terrorizing its citizens with impunity.
We supported the move that nations with poor human rights record should be excluded from the UN list. This will go a long way in compelling member states to respect the rights of its citizens. The piece below was forward to the Freedom Newspaper by a well placed source. It is talking about the new elected UN general Assembly Human rights council members. Please read on…..
Human Rights Council Members Elected (Gambia did not make the cut
10 May 2006
U.N. Human Rights Council Members Elected
Performance of the council is what counts, U.S. Ambassador Bolton says
By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent
United Nations -- The General Assembly has elected 47 nations to serve on the new Human Rights Council that will replace the discredited U.N. Commission on Human Rights in June.
Members include states whose poor human rights records have been criticized and examined for decades as well as others with excellent records as human rights leaders. The United States did not seek a seat on the council.
U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said he was not surprised that “a number of countries that themselves are gross abusers of human rights got elected."
"The real performance of the Human Rights Council over a two- or three-year period is going to be what is critical," Bolton said.
Council membership is apportioned to five regional groups: 13 seats for African states, 13 for Asian states, eight for Latin American and Caribbean states, seven for Western European states and others, and six seats for Eastern European states.
The first meeting of the Human Rights Council will be held on June 19 in Geneva.Ă‚ The council will meet regularly, scheduling no fewer than three 10-week sessions a year and will be able to hold special sessions if needed.
Elected for one year are Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, Tunisia, Bahrain, Indonesia, Philippines, India, Poland, Czech Republic, Argentina, Ecuador, Finland and the Netherlands.
Nations serving for two years are Gabon, Ghana, Mali, Zambia, Pakistan, Japan, Sri Lanka, Republic of Korea, Romania, Ukraine, Brazil, Guatemala, Peru, the United Kingdom and France.
Cameroon, Djibouti, Mauritius, Nigeria, Senegal, Bangladesh, China, Jordan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Cuba, Mexico, Uruguay, Canada, Germany and Switzerland will serve for three years.
In the future, nations will be elected to three-year terms of office.
Candidates submitted pledges and commitments to promote and protect human rights. According to the regulations establishing the new council, its members will be the first to have their human rights records reviewed.
THE U.S. POSITION
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Kristin Silverberg said the real test of the council will be whether it can take effective action in serious cases of human rights abuse, such as in Darfur, Burma and North Korea.
In 2006, the United States will "engage actively as observers," including lobbying for human rights resolutions, Silverberg said.
Assuming the council can work effectively, the United States plans to run for election next year, the assistant secretary said.
The United States, although it was a leading supporter of Secretary-General Kofi Annan's 2005 proposal to abolish the Commission on Human Rights and replace it with a stronger organization, voted against the creation of the council in March.
The design of the new council, U.S. officials said, did not have standards for membership that were high enough to keep human rights abusers off the council.Ă‚ (See related article.)
HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS
The reactions of human rights groups were mixed after the General Assembly vote.
Ann Bayefsky of the Hudson Institute project Eye on the UN said that 20 countries ranked "partly free" or "not free" by Freedom House are now on the council.
"Obviously a number of governments did get elected that we would prefer not to be there – China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Cuba,” according to Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch.
“The important step is that we've made real progress. Spoiler governments who have a history of trying to undermine the protection of human rights through their membership are now a significantly reduced minority when it comes to the council," Roth said.
The fact that Venezuela and Iran did not win seats on the council and that Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Syria and Vietnam did not even try was "good news," Roth added. "That doesn't guarantee it will be a success, but it is a step in the right direction."
"The countries that have weak human rights records and are elected to the council must now start re-examining their own records and improve them and implement the pledges they have made to the General Assembly," said Yvonne Terlingen, U.N. representative for Amnesty International.
"We will closely watch to see if they do so," Terlingen said.
For additional information, see United States and U.N. Reform.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
Posted on Thursday, May 11, 2006 (Archive on Tuesday, May 30, 2006)
Posted by PANDERRYMBAI Contributed by PANDERRYMBAI
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Current Rating: 3.57 Rating: 3 MINITER HYDARA! THE FSATEST ROUTE IS FOR JAMMEH TO NULLIFY THE DEATH PENALTY.How can he convince us with that one in his sleeves? Rating: 3 all u jammeh bastads suppotas go fuck you mothers in the asshole Rating: 3 Ansumana is of no public interest. No news worthy details please. Rating: 3 Pa what happened to the true story on the Ansumana graduation. Redeem yourself with the truth. Rating: 3 all you jammeh suppoters go lick jammehs smelly black ass Rating: 5 time will tell how evil this bastard is when he is in jail.what is being said is not about our beloved gambia but an idiot. Rating: 5 sign of things to come for this failed dictatorship jammeh will be in jail soon eating his own poop Rating: 5 Rating: 3 yea all jammeh supporters really fuck their mothers in the ass they are
all bsatards children thier mothers prostitute to get them Rating: 3 all u bastards jammeh dogs what have you got to say now, sons of dogs Rating: 5 Rating: 3 The truth is president Jammeh proves grossly inhumane Rating: 1 this is because of idiots like you always writing bad about our country you bastard Rating: 5
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