Amnesty International Decries Jailing of Gambian rights activists

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE
18 January 2012

 The Gambia must release four activists jailed for distributing anti-government T-shirts
Amnesty International today called for the immediate release of four activists arrested over the distribution of T-shirts calling for an end to dictatorship in The Gambia. One activist, Dr Amadou Scattred Janneh, the country's former Minister for Information and Communication, was yesterday sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour for treason. Modou Keita, Ebrima Jallow and Michael Uche Thomas were each sentenced to three years with hard labour for sedition.

Dr. Amadou S. Janneh, US Citizen in Gambian jail

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 Commentary Ghana/Africa

The Last Laugh: The Juju-Man and Members of Parliament

By Kofi Akosah-Sarpong

The year 2011 ended with remarkable improvement in Africans’ discussion of their culture in relation to their progress. As the on-going enlightenment movement deepens, Africans are increasing discussing the enabling and the inhibiting aspects of their culture in relation to their advancement. Roman Catholic Pope Benedict XVI dropped in and enjoined Africans to tackle the inhibitions within their culture that have been disturbing them. In Sierra Leone, Dr. John Leigh, a prominent politician and diplomat with the main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), in a major boost to the enlightenment movement, resigned from the SLPP, part of the reason being some party big-wigs involved in absurd juju-marabou ceremonies.

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OPINION

Gambia Presidential election 2011: Free or Fraudulent? 

By Momodou Olly Mboge, Oslo, Norway                                          

Opinions galore, thus here comes mine, take cover, sorry.  November 24^th is now history.  Over 80% of the registered voters have made their choices as to who is to be their president. It is Sheikh His Excellency President Alhaji Doctor (Professor) Y.J.J Alphonse Jammeh that has been declared winner by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), though calling the IEC independent is an aberration.  There is no doubt that the institution moonlighting as an independent electoral arbiter whose Chairman is a flunkey of the President is anything but, independent.

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Gambia Congress party blasts Bola Akinyemi

—GMC party chief, Mai Fatty, alleges Commonwealth lead-election observer lacks credibility

GMC REACTION TO THE COMMONWEALTH REPORT

All Gambians saw the Head of the Commonwealth Election Observer Mission at State House, his comportment, demeanour and use of language. It was very theatrical.  It is curious that a man who jetted into the country on the 18th November 2011, and five days later, could place himself in the position of an indisputable expert on Gambian politics, speaking with authority on the governance situation in our country.

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Major US paper takes grim look at Yahya Jammeh’s dangerous role in Africa

The Gambia Echo can predict and rightly so, that unless The Gambia’s tyrant, Yahya Jammeh, changes his direction, the next five years will be very difficult if not ominous for the 46-year-old murderer, drug-dealer, arms-dealer and probably, the richest Head of state in the African continent today.

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Gambia’s main opposition party-UDP rejects Thursday’s election results

—Claims massive voter fraud, intimidation, state-orchestrated banditry

Press statement by the UDP/GMC united alliance in regard to the presidential election 2011

This Statement is a sequel to the Preliminary Statement issued by the UDP/GMC United Alliance in which we categorically rejected the results of the just concluded Presidential Elections as announced by the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission.

UDP's Leader Ousainou N. Darboe

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Yahya Jammeh sweeps Gambia's flawed polls

Predictably, incumbent President, Yahya Jammeh swept Thursday's flawed presidential elections in the West African state of The Gambia in numbers that seem to defy physics at least, from the reactions of most people who spoke to The Gambia Echo. For now though, we will publish the results courtesy of the nation's emasculated Independent Electoral Commission as we await official reactions from the political actors on the ground. However, as we went to press, the main opposition, UNITED DEMOCRATIC PARTY led by Gambian lawyer, Ousainou Darboe, has preliminarily rejected the results as bogus. 

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Opinion

Washington letter writer calls L. J. Darbo’s legal opinion baseless, malicious

Dear Editor

I was flabbergasted after reading one Lamin J Darbo’s (a UK- based lawyer) article arguing without any legal basis that, Hamat Bah was not qualified to run as an independent candidate in the forth coming presidential elections in The Gambia.  Mr Darbo, who claimed to be

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Commentary Ghana/Africa

The 2012 Elections: The Juju-Marabou games begin

By Kofi Akosah-Sarpong

It doesn’t matter if Ghana’s 2012 general elections is a year away; campaigning of some sorts is underway. Democracy-crazy, everyday appears to be campaigning day. The mass media is charged. Character, development issues, policies and programmes jumble easily with foul language and the irrational juju-marabou spiritual predictions. The past veers into the present and the present into the past.

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OPINION

UK-based Gambian lawyer, L J Darboe, challenges the legality of Hamat Bah’s proposed independent candidature 

With less than a day from candidate nomination for the 24 November presidential contest, there are strong indications the so-called “united front” of NRP, PDOIS, and GPDP will attempt to field Hamat N K Bah, erstwhile leader of the NRP, as presidential candidate outside any specific party colours. As the body entrusted with the legal responsibility for managing the public election process in The Gambia, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) must remain alive to its obligation in ensuring requisite fidelity to the letter of the law.

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