> Gambia > Politics | Society | Human rights >CHOGM to suspend Gambia > afrol News, 21 November - The Gambia is perhaps few miles away > from being slapped suspended by the Commonwealth, as the body's > People Forum has urged the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of > Governments Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled to take place in the > Ugandan capital Kampala to take the country to task on its poor > human rights records. > The forum composed of NGOs involved in the protection of the > human rights of Commonwealth citizens . Its discussions were > dominated by the appalling human rights conditions in the West > African country. > > Rights activists wondered why so many atrocities, including the > executions of more than 50 West African nations, have been > committed by the despotic regime of Yahya Jammeh, yet none of > the perpetrators has faced justice. > > Delegates have jointly condemned gagging of press freedom in The > Gambia and Zimbabwe. Yahya Jammeh and Robert Mugabe have been > "accused of instigators of atrocities perpetrated against > political opponents and should therefore be held accountable." > > The Gambia's Director of TANGO [Association of NGOs] Ousman Yabo > told the Kampala forum that there is little room for NGOs > specialising in human rights to operate in the country. He said > the country should be forced to respect the treaties and > protocols it has signed. > > The Regional Director of Commonwealth African Initiative, Ms. > Oye Lithur, insisted an investigation into the extra-judicial > executions in The Gambia. She characterised the country's > pattern of human rights violation as "deliberate and systematic." > > Delegates also scolded Zimbabwe and Pakistan for upholding > values that contradict human rights culture. > > It is not clear whether the Gambian leader will grace the > Kampala meeting. > > Uganda that is hosting CHOGM has also got an axe to grind with > Uganda Human Rights Commission that claims to have documented > more than 7,500 complaints of torture, cruel or inhuman > treatment in the last 10 years. > > > > By staff writer > (c) afrol News > > > E-mail this to a friend > Printable version > > > > Related pages and featureCurrent afrol News Top Stories > > > > > > > > > > > > > » Violent strike rocks Senegal > » Smith's death creates uproar > » Hyenas kill Kenya lion killer > » CHOGM to suspend Gambia > » UK teens guilty of Ghana drug smuggling > » Mozambique: Nyimpine Chissano dies > » Liberia, Israel firm sign deal > » MFWA petitions bulldozers > » Kenya's poverty fight sealed > » Unknown illness hits Angola > > > > > > about afrol News | news | countries | archive | services | > feed back | español > (c) afrol News. Reproducing or buying afrol News' articles. > You can contact us at [log in to unmask] > > [log in to unmask] > [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤