Press Release: Immediate
Commonwealth Forum Recommends Gambia’s Suspension
The Movement for Democratic Change - Gambia (MDC-G) is pleased to forward below the main elements of the outcome of the deliberations of the Commonwealth's People Forum recommending the temporary suspension of The Gambia from the Commonwealth. The People's Forum precedes the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting scheduled to take place from the 23 - 25 November.
MDC - G welcomes this development, in a series of recent important developments, as the beginning of the end of the most brutal, incompetent and corrupt government The Gambia has ever had.
We commend the courageous men and women of the Commonwealth People Forum for putting Yahya Jammeh and his criminal supporters on notice that the killing and maiming of innocent men, women and children whose only crime is opposing a criminal regime that has lost its way and legitimacy to govern cannot continue.
What is reproduced below is an outline of the recommendations, which the Forum will forward to the Heads of Governments Meeting, which kicks off on Friday, 23 November in Kampala, Uganda. We only hope that Yahya Jammeh will attend the CHOGM to defend himself against mounting international criticism of his illegitimate regime.
Jammeh must go. Jammeh must go now.
Movement for Democratic Change - Gambia
Banjul
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Detailed Report
The Commonwealth's People Forum has recommended to the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled to take place in Kampala, Uganda from November 2007 that The Gambia be temporarily suspended from the Commonwealth for serious Human Rights violations. The Government of Yahya Jammeh dominated the discussions of the People Forum, which is a composed of NGOs involved in the protection of the Human Rights of Commonwealth citizens.
Citing the numerous human right violations of Yahya Jammeh's despotic regime including the 50 odd citizens of Ghana, Senegal, Togo, Nigeria killed two years ago without a single member of the Gambia's security force brought before a court of law.
The delegates of the Commonwealth Forum condemned the extra-judicial executions and attacks on the freedom of the press in The Gambia and Zimbabwe. The Forum proceeded to accuse both Yahya Jammeh and Robert Mugabe as the instigators of atrocities perpetrated against political opponents and should therefore be held accountable.
Ousman Yabo, Director of TANGO in The Gambia who is attending the Forum in Kampala indicated that there is little room for NGO's specializing in Human Rights to operate in The Gambia and that Gambia should be forced to respect the treaties and protocols which it signs.
A fellow delegate Ms. Oye Lithur who is the Regional Director of the Commonwealth African Initiative indicated that the extra-judicial executions that took place in The Gambia and the disappearance of 50 Africans in The Gambia are the subject of extensive investigation and that international campaign has begun to bring the perpetrators of these heinous crimes to justice.
The Regional Director of the Commonwealth Africa Initiative characterized the pattern of human rights violations in The Gambia as “deliberate and systematic” and therefore joined her fellow delegates in recommending to the CHOGM to apply pressure on Yahya Jammeh to put a stop to the extra-judicial executions and other human rights violations and bring those responsible to justice.
The delegates also made their concerns known about human rights violations and that what is transpiring in Zimbabwe and Pakistan are contrary to the values perpetuated and defended by the Commonwealth and therefore should stop.
It remains to be seen if President Jammeh will end up going to Uganda given this development. What is certain however is that in the next three months, Yahya Jammeh may be somewhere defending himself against a barrage of human rights violations some of which may tantamount to genocide.