GAMBIANS TOOK TO THE STREETS OF LONDON

By Protest Gambia

Members of the Gambian Society UK, on Friday 16 December 2011, took to the streets of London to express their anger against Yahya Jammeh’s fraudulent victory of the 24 November 2011 presidential election in the Gambia. The demonstrations were staged opposite Number 10 Downing Street, where the British Prime Minister, David Cameron’s office and residence are located. The demonstrators handed a petition to the British Prime Minister David Cameron, and called on him to declare Gambia’s election of 24 November 2011 as bogus and fraudulent; and declare the Gambian President as having no legitimacy to rule the Gambian people and to help the Gambian people end the dictatorship of Yahya Jammeh.

The protesters chanted anti-Jammeh slogans near the Prime Minister’s residence. They called the Gambian president murderer. "Gambian Murderer; Yahya Jammeh Murderer”. They also carried posters with different slogans and cartoons depicting president Jammeh as a moster as they waved Gambian flags alongside posters.

One of the coordinators of the event, Mr Yankuba Darboe, explained that the group's aim was simply to garner international support against the dictatorship of Yahya Jammeh in the Gambia. Mr Darboe explained that the 24 November 2011 election proved the Gambia was no longer a democratic country under Yahya Jammeh, and the status quo has deprived Gambians of any hope of choosing a leader of their choice through the ballot box.

Mr Darboe stated that the event on the day was the first of many events they intend to stage in London and other parts of the world in collaboration with other Gambian associations. He said they are working on a Europe wide submission of their petition to all European heads of states. He said he was assured by the Gambian associations in France and Switzerland that they will ensure the delivery of their petitions to their relevant heads of governments.

When inquired whether there were plans for the same petition to be handed to the US President and the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Darboe explained that they are working on plans to have that happen. He stated that they have had contacts with some interested parties in the US, who are trying to assist in coordinating similar events there, but that they have yet to contacts in Canada.

Mr Darboe stated that their next date of demonstrations will take place on 18 February 2012; 11 April 2012, 22 July 2012; 11 November 2012 and 16 December 2012. He said that one event will not be enough to attract the international attention required for the plight of the Gambian people.

Mr Darboe reiterated that Jammeh has innocent Gambian bloods on his hands, and to remain silent about that should be a scar on every Gambians conscience. He said no human society should endure what his people are going through under Jammeh in the Gambia. For that reason, he said, they will not flinch in their struggle to see the end of Yahya Jammeh’s dictatorship in the Gambia.

Below we reproduce the full text of the petition handed to the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, which is also intended to be submitted to all the heads of states of the European countries:

GAMBIAN SOCIETY UK

106 King Edwards Road, Barking IG11 7TW

16 December 2011

His Excellency

Prime Minister David Cameron

No.10 Downing Street

Westminster

London, England

Dear Prime Minister

Gross Violations of Fundamental Human Rights in the Gambia

Concerned about gross violations of fundamental human rights in the Gambia by the President of the Gambia, we the members of the Gambian Society in United Kingdom have decided to demonstrate before your High Office at No. 10 Downing Street to draw your attention to our plights.

We call on your Office to exercise leadership and end official tyranny in the Gambia, a country dubbed oasis of unquestionable freedom and democracy until 1994, when a group of disgruntled soldiers overthrew our legally elected government from power. Since then Gambians continue to live in a climate of fear characterised by torture, forced disappearances and killings. Ironically, these violations are never investigated, nor prosecuted by the Jammeh regime. We want to give you a summary of some of these violations.

The aftermath of the November 11^th, 1994 abortive coup culminated in the summary execution of dozen soldiers by Mr. Jammeh’s junta. Executed and buried in mass graves in the forest, the fallen soldiers who were accused of attempted coup, had been denied their constitutional right to fair trial to prove their innocence in court. Besides, their widows and orphaned children were left to bite the dust.

In July 1995, the charred remains of Ousman Koro Ceesay, the junta’s finance minister, were found in his car in the outskirts of the capital Banjul. Mr. Ceesay’s assassination resulted on his way home after sending off Yahya Jammeh at the airport.

On April 10 and 11, 2000, 12 armless students [ages between 8 and 16] and a journalist [Omar Barrow] were massacred by Jammeh’s trigger-happy soldiers for demonstrating against the killing and raping of their colleagues by security forces. A Coroner’s Inquest proved that all the victims died of gunshot wounds. Yet Jammeh’s regime granted amnesty to suspects through a backdated bill.

In August 2000, an independent radio station was set on fire by attackers with cans of petrol. Attackers of Radio One FM were found to be Green Boys [radical arm group of Yahya Jammeh].

The Independent newspaper’s offices and printing press were set on fire in 2003 and 2004 by suspects identified as members of President Jammeh’s guards.

Today’s demonstration coincides with the 7^th anniversary of Deyda Hydara’s drive by shooting on December 16, 2004. Mr. Hydara was gunned down just 100 metres from a police barrack, yet his assailants could not be found. The government’s non-compliance to investigate the case means Gambian officials are burying something in their sleeves. Hydara’s callous killing instils fear in Gambian journalists, most of who have fled into exile.

On July 23, 2005, 50 would-be West African migrants, including 44 Ghanaians, were hacked to death by the Gambian security forces on the orders president Yahya Jammeh; after he mistook them for being mercenaries poised to attack the Gambia.

In March 2009, thousands of Gambians were kidnapped from their villages and taken to secret detention centres only to be stripped, beaten and poisoned with hallucinating concoction. This state-sponsored crackdown, ordered by President Jammeh to “root out witches” in the country, had caused diarrhoea and vomiting, resulting to some deaths.

Gambian prisons are congested with thousands of political prisoners denied the right to appear before a judge, a flagrant violation of their constitutional rights. Their prison conditions are so appalling that many prisoners have died in mysterious circumstances, with some people accusing the government of slowly killing its “perceived enemies” through food poisoning and torture. Gambia government has been using mistreatment of innocent people to instil fear among citizens.

The Jammeh government’s crackdown on rights defenders have been well documented internationally but the international community merely folded its hands.

On 24 November 2011, Gambians went to poll to elect a leader in a free and fair democratic process. The West African Economic Community, the sub regional group of the Gambia’s neighbouring countries, sent a delegation to monitor the said political process. The sub-regional body withdrew their delegation shortly before the polling date on the conclusion that the atmosphere in the country was not conducive for a free and fair election to be conducted.

On 25 and 26 November 2011, after the elections results were announced, all the opposition parties, who took part in the election, decried foul play and described the election results bogus and fraudulent.

In our efforts to correct these injustices and to challenge the illegitimate power of incumbency at home, Gambians launched a worldwide campaign marred by demonstrations in major capitals and cities. The campaign aims to draw the attention of world leaders to help us lift Yahya Jammeh’s self-imposed yokes on our people.

We hope you will take into consideration Britain’s long history of fraternal relations with our country to remedy the situation in our dear motherland.

We want your high office to champion the following causes:

1. declare the election results of 24 November 2011, as bogus and fraudulent, which do not reflect the will of the Gambian people;

2. declare that Yahya Jammeh has lost all legitimacy to rule the people of the Gambian.

3. help Gambians end tyranny of Yahya Jammeh in the Gambia and help restore our cherished culture of dignity, democracy, human rights and the rule of law;

4. help Gambians secure the unconditional release of all political prisoners in the Gambia;

5. help Gambians investigate all cases of extra-judicial killings, torture, and forced disappearances in the Gambia during the 17 years tyranny of Yahya Jammeh;

6. help Gambians end the use of security agents to instil fear in the country;

7. help Gambians end mistreatment of journalists, rights activists and civil liberty groups in the Gambia;

8. help Gambians hold independent inquiry into the assassination of Deyda Hydara; and help them honour the verdict of the ECOWAS court in the case of Chief Ebrima Manneh and Musa Saidykhan, both of whom were victims of the regime’s cruelty.

Yours faithfully

The Gambian Society UK