Amnesty
demands release of jailed Gambian Human rights advocate
By Amanda Moutrage & Awal Mohammed
Amnesty International and other civil
society groups are advocating for the immediate release of Dr. Amadou Scattred
Janneh, a Gambian national who was arrested last year for treason.
According to the groups, Dr Janneh’s
continues detention constitutes a violation to his right to freedom of
expression, in accordance with the Gambian Constitution and other International
Human Rights treaties.
This call was made at a press conference
on the occasion of the Gambia Day of Action, observed at the International
Press Centre in Accra.
Along with representatives from the
Human Rights Advocacy Centre and the Media Foundation of West Africa, the
objectives were highlights as a matter of urgency, mainly concerning Dr. Amadou
Scattred Janneh, a Gambian national who was arrested last year for treason.
On 7 June 2011, Dr. Janneh was arrested
for being in possession of T-shirts which featured the slogan ‘End to
Dictatorship now’. He was, therefore, accused for the production and
distribution of these shirts and sentenced to life imprisonment with hard
labour.
The Day of Action is held annually on 23
July, 2012, coinciding with Gambia's Freedom Day held on 22, July 2012. Mr.
Vincent Adzahlie-Mensah of the University of Education –Winneba, briefly
highlighted that while Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh states that Freedom Day
is dedicated to celebrating the day, he took power during a military coup.
Amnesty International insist that
"the dire human rights situation in the Gambia and the restrictions on
freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly makes President Jammeh's
self-proclaimed 'freedom day' laughable."
Mr. Adzahlie-Mensah also highlighted the
incident where 50 foreigners, including 44 Ghanaian nationals, were killed by
Gambian security forces with no explanation. He also mentioned that
hostilities towards journalists,
human rights activists and political opponents in the Gambia has worsened with
the majority being subjected to unlawful
arrests and detentions, torture, unfair trials, harassments, assaults and death
threats.
Since March 2006, several political
figures have been unlawfully killed or subjected to unexplainable
disappearances and unfair sentencing.
Human Rights Advocacy Centre's
representative, Mr. Robert Akoto Amoafo explained that people arrested
unlawfully have no access to legal representation and are held for longer than
72 hours without a charge. He stated that this is in violation according to
Gambia's 1997 Constitution where several articles under Chapter 4 protect the
rights to life, protection of personal liberties, prohibiting arbitrary arrests
and detentions as well protecting freedom of speech and privacy and prohibition
of discrimination on the grounds of political opinion.
As apart of this years Day of Action,
Amnesty International are demanding the immediate release of Dr. Amadou
Scattred Janneh with all charges made against him are dropped. They are also
demanding a stop to unfair trials in the Gambia, a call for the eradication of
violating and control of the freedom of expression within Gambia.
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