To: His Excellency, Joseph D. Stafford, U.S. Ambassador, The Gambia

 

Subject: Growing Concern over Fatou Jaw Manneh’s “Trial”

 

From: Professor Abdoulaye Saine

 

Date: April 16, 2007

 

 

Gambians in the Diaspora and at home are very concerned about Ms. Fatou Jaw Manneh’s so-called trial in The Gambia.  We are convinced that her trial is a farce, given Jammeh’s overwhelming control and manipulation of the judiciary to serve his political objectives.  We believe that Jaw Manneh’s trial is a sinister effort to use her as an example to blunt criticism of Jammeh himself.

 

We thank you for your continued interest in seeing to it that Fatou’s rights are respected.  Therefore, we respectfully ask that you intervene on Ms. Jaw Manneh’s behalf.  Failure to do so could mean months, perhaps years of unlawful and vindictive imprisonment for merely exercising her constitutionally guaranteed rights.  Her week-long illegal detention by the NIA already sent a strong signal of what is likely to follow.  Finally, we continue to fear for Ms. Jaw Manneh’s life.

 

CC:

Her Excellency, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State, U.S.A.

 

Her Excellency, Dr. Jendayi Frazer, Asst. Secretary of State, Africa

Her Excellency, Dr. Cindy Courville, U.S. Ambassador to the African Union, Ethiopia