GAMBIA MUST DROP TREASON CHARGES AGAINST ACTIVISTS

Gambia must immediately drop treason charges against five activists, including three journalists and an opposition politician, Amnesty International said today.

The five activists, including the former President of the Gambia Press Union, Ndey Tapha Sosseh and Amadou Scattred Janneh, a former minister of Information and Communication, were charged on Tuesday in connection with the distribution of t-shirts calling for an “end to dictatorship in the Gambia’. Treason carries the death penalty in Gambia.

The call comes as Amnesty International launches a major campaign detailing how cases of enforced disappearances are yet to be resolved, those involved in unlawful killings have not been identified and bought to justice, and torture is still widely used by the security forces.

Most victims of enforced disappearances in Gambia are journalists, opposition party members or security force personnel. Investigations by the authorities rarely take place and perpetrators are not brought to justice.

“President Jammeh must stop these acts of persecution,” said Tawanda Hondora, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Africa Programme.

“All charges should be dropped immediately. These people are being punished for peacefully expressing their views. Those in detention are prisoners of conscience, who should be released immediately and unconditionally.”

Ndey Tapha Sosseh is currently living in Mali and was charged in absentia.

“President Jammeh marks July 22 each year as ‘Freedom Day’ and yet Gambia is ruled with an iron fist by a government that ruthlessly quashes all forms of dissent,” said Tawanda Hondora, Amnesty International’s deputy Africa director.

“Instead of celebrating ‘Freedom Day’, the Gambian authorities must act to end human rights abuses and the culture of fear”, he added.

Repression of the media has a long history in Gambia. The lack of independence of the judiciary in cases involving journalists and human rights defenders is also increasing. 

Amnesty International, along with civil society groups across Africa, has organized a day of action to protest continuing human rights violations in Gambia, including repression of the media.

Extrajudicial executions have been routinely carried out in Gambia especially against members of the security forces who oppose the government.

Amnesty International has also documented cases in which students, journalists and foreign nationals have been killed by security personnel.
 

Source: Amnesty International

Coalition for Change - The Gambia: Setting the Record Straight

To the Gambian media at home and abroad

The Executive Committee of the Coalition for Change Gambia (CCG) commends the online media for bringing news to Gambian Diaspora. We however take issue with the recent relentless characterization of CCG as a “clandestine and subversive organization.” This characterization is reckless and does not represent what CCG stands for, and we therefore reject these labels. We are not an armed movement seeking change through violent means. We don’t have armed militia lurking in the bushes. We don’t have guns hidden somewhere ready to use. Our only weapons are our mouths and our pens; two weapons we by law have a right to use to inform and educate Gambians about the untenable situation in which our country finds itself. We rely on the power of The Gambian people to bring about change and restore dignity in their lives.
Further, it seems some media to a degree relied heavily on innuendo and speculations to drive home points that have no grounding on fact. The CCG is under no illusion how such embellishment could inadvertently assail the judgment of reasonable people, and we encourage all media practitioners to take the moral high ground and desist from employing language that can sow seeds of panic and skepticism about CCG.

While we acknowledge the selfless dedication the media has contributed to the cause of liberating our motherland from the jaws of tyranny and corruption, we ask that media practitioners refrain from creating a cloud of distrust over their efforts by persistently engaging in unnecessary and baffling mischaracterizations of CCG. To build a level of credibility and prestige in the media enterprise, it is imperative that any story that makes it in the pages of the newspaper and the airwaves of their radios, are supported by irrefutable evidence. This means avoiding the dissemination of information that is the creative genius of the figment of their fertile imaginations.
The CCG is not unlike any other civil society organization trying to restore democracy in The Gambia, and it is neither a surprise nor a coincidence that nearly all these Gambian civil society organizations have “democracy” embedded in their names to articulate their primary goals.
The main objective of CCG is the restoration of democracy and the rule of law in The Gambia; our motivation derives from the sixteen years of servitude to which fellow Gambians have been subjected; our determination is grounded on our civic responsibility and our patriotic duty to legally dissent, and our aspiration is pegged on the eradication of the fear that has paralyzed Gambians into total submissions.
CCG calls on all Gambians, especially the youth to come forward and help rescue our country from the vicissitude of tyranny and oppression, so their little brothers and sisters and their future sons and daughters will not be reduced to slavery or driven out into exile by the hand of another future dictatorship. Gambians have been afraid for far too long, and the time has come to break this intellectually debilitating and mentally corrosive fear of state power and Yahya Jammeh. With this in mind, CCG was formed to bring like-minded Gambians with a desire and the commitment to help rescue our country from yoke of physical and mental bondage. In two paragraphs below, we present a summary of CCG’s hopes and aspirations for our country, and some of our demands outlining what the regime needs to do to respect the civil and human rights of every Gambian.
“The Coalition for Change -The Gambia (CCG), a civil, human and political rights organization, which brings together a cross-section of the Gambian community at home and abroad, has been launched. The group is a non-partisan organization established to challenge the dictatorship and restore basic freedoms in The Gambia through nonviolent action. The Coalition's formation is necessitated by the repressive political environment in which Gambians find themselves. Virtually all avenues of orderly political change have been shut by a despot determined to cling on to power by any means necessary.”
“To accomplish this, the group will be providing an alternative voice - Radio Free Gambia - which is to go on air by mid-July. Together with the FM Station, CCG will continue utilizing social media to further spread our messages and to garner public support.
CCG has been calling on the regime to immediately:
· Repeal laws that unduly restrict freedom of expression
· Ensure equal access to public media for all political establishments
· Organize a referendum on instituting Presidential term limits
· Free all political prisoners
· End arbitrary arrests, detentions, torture and murders
· Investigate all mysterious deaths and disappearances
· Respect freedom of assembly and association
CCG also continues its call for all groups and individuals from every sector of the community, in The Gambia and abroad, to join us in the struggle to restore democracy and the rule of law.” Visit our website at:http://www.changegambia.org

Furthermore, in a recent radio interview/interrogation relentless attempts were made to cajole information about CCG out of individuals who possess no such knowledge about CCG. Additionally, allegations were made to the effect that CCG’s had abandoned Dr. Amadou Scattred Janneh in his moment of crisis. To begin with, neither Ndey Tapha-Sosseh nor Mathew K Jallow confirmed nor denied Dr. Janneh’s membership of CCG, but we are nonetheless proud that someone like him is challenging the last sixteen years of tyranny in our country. CCG Executive members enthusiastically align themselves with Dr. Janneh’s position regarding the abysmal human rights record and the disappearance of citizens in our country, and are committed to do everything in our power to mitigate the suffering of any Gambian who becomes a victim of this regime, regardless of their position in our society, and that includes Dr. Janneh.
Secondly, the question of CCG’s legitimacy was raised, and we want to make it categorically clear that the organization is a bone-fide civil society organization, and any queries regarding where it was founded is mute and does not merit belaboring further. As to the issue of the composition of our executive, we will continue to respect their desire for anonymity, for the same reason, all the media are protecting the identities of their information sources in Banjul. The theory of not knowing what will happen to them if they openly operate as champions of liberty is the driving rationale. It boils down to the hostility of the regime towards dissenting voices, and the danger dissension poses to the wellbeing of Gambians. CCG believes you will agree that none of the civil society organizations founded abroad will be permitted to freely operate as champions of Human Rights in The Gambia, moreover, it might interest Gambians to know that CCG may not be the only organization protecting the anonymity of their home-bound members, nor will it be the last.
For as long as Yahya Jammeh still remains in power, we will never enjoy the freedom to operate openly as civil rights organization free to protect our fellow citizens from the overreach of this barbaric regime.
Finally, while it is correct that CCG should be held accountable to Gambians; our overriding calculation is the protection of our membership from the mean-spiritedness of a calculating megalomania. This position is absolutely non- negotiable, come what may.
Lastly, CCG thanks all of Gambia’s media for the efforts and sacrifice they make in the dissemination of information to the Gambian Diaspora community and for their steadfast stand against the tyrannical regime that has held our country hostage for the past sixteen years. Thank you.
Signed June 13, 2011
Ndey Tapha-Sosseh
Secretary General
CCG
Mathew K Jallow
CCG Chair (U.S)

Coalition for Change - The Gambia elects SG, holds successful meeting in Banjul

                                                                                 PRESS RELEASE

Refccg02/4/11

                                                                          

The Executive Committee of the Coalition for Change -The Gambia (CCG) meeting in Banjul Wednesday April 7, elected Ndey Tapha Sosseh as its Secretary General and Spokesperson.

The Coalition, launched on April 2 is a civil, human and political rights organization which brings together a cross-section[i] of the Gambian community at home and abroad. Members are bound together by a common objective of ending the Gambia’s dictatorship as well as a deep concern over the climate of fear that has so consumed Gambian society.

The non-partisan Coalition which seeks to challenge the dictatorship and restore basic freedoms in The Gambia through nonviolent action has set aside a series of activities to commence April 10/11 2011, in memory of the 14 Students slain by state security agents and journalist Omar Barrow.

The  Coalition whose first priority is to ensure the adequate and unbiased access to information of Gambians on the ground, in order to enable them have an improved awareness of the repressive political environment in which they find themselves will be providing an alternative voice, Radio Free Gambia which is to go on air in April.  Together with the FM Station, CCG will use a combination of social media to spread our messages and to garner public support.

A series of press conferences[ii] will be held from Monday April 11.

CCG calls on the regime to immediately:

·                                             Repeal laws that unduly restrict freedom of expression

·                                             Ensure equal access to public media for all political establishments

·                                             Organize a referendum to institute Presidential term limits

·                                             Free all political prisoners

·                                             End the arbitrary arrests, detentions, torture and murders

·                                             Investigate all mysterious deaths and disappearances

·                                             Respect freedom of assembly and association

CCG once again calls all groups and individuals from every sector of the community, in The Gambia and abroad, to join us in the struggle to restore democracy and the rule of law.

Signed:

The Executive

April 9th 2011

CONTACTS:

Ndey Tapha Sosseh, Secretary General/Spokesperson: sgcoalitionforchangegambia@gmail.com

Executive: CoalitionForChangeGambia@gmail.com

TWITTER: @ChangeGambia, @KomboMansa, @theGambiaVoice

Face-book group: Coalition for Change – The Gambia

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[i] Coalition for Change Gambia has as its members, journalists, lawyers, doctors, businessmen/women and civil society groups in and outside The Gambia concerned about the deteriorating state of affairs in The Gambia. Further information and details, including requests for membership can be accessed and processed through the Secretary General.

[ii] Interested media organisations should contact the Secretary General for more information.  Audio material is also available and can be accessed upon request.