Let the truth be told. -Yus Human rights country document released US report indicts Gambia Gov’t again The US State Department has released its annual Country Report on human rights practices in The Gambia renewing its criticism of what it called more human rights violations by the Jammeh regime despite the return to democracy. It also observes that a number of decrees still exist that run contrary to the spirit of the constitution, giving sweeping powers to some state functionaries to arrest and detain individuals for more than 72 hours without the writ of habeas corpus. The State Department document lists a number of human rights violations, which it asserts were left unchecked and unresolved in 2000, leading to a hostile political environment that denied democratic freedoms to individuals deemed as opponents of the regime. The report says the country’s human rights situation, which was “generally poor and serious”, remains a damning indictment of a government claiming a restoration of democracy and the rule of law under President Yahya Jammeh. According to the report members of the security forces committed serious human rights abuses, which in most cases are not prosecuted or their perpetrators punished. The report lists a number of unexplained deaths and the failures of the government to pursue investigations into them. This included the shooting at a checkpoint in Omorto of Faburama Manneh and Bakary Ceesay by soldiers, suspecting drug trafficking. It also includes the killing of Hussein Wasni a Lebanese visitor on 30th October along the Kombo coastal high way after he allegedly failed to stop at an army checkpoint and Ousman Ceesay a United Democratic Party supporter who died from a shot at Tallinding following clashes between supporters of the ruling party and those of the main opposition on the last day of the presidential campaign. The US report further adds that, security forces continue to torture and carry out other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment on civilians and security detainees especially at the Denton Bridge. It adds that several opposition supporters claimed that they were tortured whiles they were detained by security officers The report also indicates the beating of John Senesi a Sierra Leonean teacher along Kairaba Avenue by soldiers on February 16th, the beating of Brian Secka of Sukuta by a police officer named Bojang on April 14th, the beating of Pa Moo Sallah, Ousman Sowe, and Sang Gaswell (athletes of KMC) in Basse by Paramilitary officers in Basse after a volley ball match during the NAYCONF among others, The report further detailed that since the return of the country to civilian rule, the government of The Gambia has not formally revoked military decrees enacted prior to the enactment of the 1997 constitution that gives the NIA and the Secretary of State for the Interior broad powers to detain individuals indefinitely without charge “in the interest of national security”. These decrees the report says, seem to be inconsistent with the constitution but have not been subjected to judicial challenge. The report observes that although the government has stated that it no longer enforce these decrees, in some instances it disregards constitutional requirements that stipulate that detainees be brought before a court within 72 hours. The report also claims that detainees were often released after the 72 hours and instructed to report to the police stations or NIA headquarters periodically until the case proceeds to the courts. On prison conditions, the report states that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) who visited the prisons found improving conditions, but also noted that the psychological conditions at the Mile Two, Jeshwang and Janjanbureh prisons were “hard” in that maximum security prisoners were confined to small, individual cells for 21 hours a day and were allowed few family visits. It also points out that there were credible reports of beatings and malnourishment of detainees. Local jails it adds continued to experience overcrowding, with inmates including detainees awaiting charges or those charged awaiting trial, occasionally sleeping on the floor, provided with mats or blankets. It catalogues that the police are reluctant to terminate fistfights between prisoners until the dispute is settled violently, and many of the prisoners are injured. Harassment of journalists The report states that journalists were harassed by security forces and the police some such incidents being the harassment of Salieu Mbowe a freelance journalist by police officers at his home in Latrikunda on February 28, the beating of Alieu Badara Mansaray by officers of the Bundung Police station on May 27, the sacking of Peter Gomez a broadcaster at GRTS on January 5, the arrest of Modou Thomas, Bakary Manneh and Namory Trawally who were covering the NAYCONF in Basse on June 11, the arrest of George Christensen of Radio 1 FM and Baboucarr Gaye on October 23 and 29 on the pretext of financial irregularities regarding the operation of their stations, and the closure of Citizen FM.The report would be serialized in our subsequent editions. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~