The
Gambia Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations is deeply worried and concerned with the recent audio message of former President Yaya Jammeh,
in which he reaffirmed to his supporters and party militants of his return to The Gambia, citing an agreement he claimed was signed between himself, the
Government of The Gambia, the United Nations, The African Union and ECOWAS in
January 2017 to end the month-long political impasse triggered by his refusal
to step down after he lost the elections.
Former
president, Yaya Jammeh’s rule in The
Gambia was a tyrannical and brutal dictatorship, he is a fugitive from justice and a subject of
serious allegations of human rights violations , as evident in the on-going TRRC.
He is accused of mass killings, sexual abuses, disappearances, maiming, torture of Gambians, Senegalese,
Ghanaians’, Nigerians and citizens of The United States of America, which
destroyed the lives, hopes and aspirations of so many people. Therefore, the Government of the Gambia should arrest
him if he steps foot in The Gambia.
The
Janneh Commission which look into the
financial dealings of former President Yahya Jammeh and his close associates
has shown that Former President Jammeh stole a billion dalasis, over 304
million Dollars, Over 29 million Euros, and Over two-million-pound sterling’s
from The Gambia. This man’s crimes to the Gambia are many, thus, we call on the
Government of The Gambia to issue a warrant for his arrest.
If
former president Jammeh is authorized to return to The Gambia without being
arrested, charged and prosecuted for his crimes or transferred to another state
for him to face justice, it would be a big failure on the part of the
Government of The Gambia to uphold its duty to the people of Gambia, as well as
its international obligation to provide an effective remedy to victims as well
as holding perpetrators of human rights violations accountable. Furthermore it
will send a bad message to the victims
of the 22 year Jammeh rule, who have gone through so much within that period,
and within the transitional justice process having to deal with the
repercussions of publicly telling their stories.
As a party to the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights, the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,
the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the International
Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance,
African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Revised ECOWAS Treaty, The Gambia is obliged to
prosecute serious human rights violations and to provide effective remedy to
victims. This goes beyond mere truth seeking but rather involves holding those
bearing the greatest responsibility to
account. Therefore, if former president Jammeh steps foot in The Gambia he must
be arrested to face justice before a national, regional or international body.
This
year, The Government of The Gambia filed a case against Myanmar at the ICJ over
the genocide against Rohingya in a bid to end impunity. It is in the same
spirit that we call on The Gambia Government to clearly affirm its commitment
to cooperate with Victims of the Jammeh regime and clearly affirm that former
president will be arrested and prosecuted for his crimes, should he step foot
in The Gambia.
The
Gambia Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations will continue to work with
relevant partners to facilitate justice to victims, through national, regional
and international mechanisms to ensure that peace continues to prevail in the
country. Not only must justice be done
it must also be seen to be done.
Dated
13th January,2020.
