Progress report
Gambia-L,
Soffie Ceesay, Karamba Touray and Alpha Robinson have been co-ordinating efforts
towards the Fund which resulted from the discussion around the action plan
initiated on the List after the April massacre in The Gambia. To recapitulate
briefly and for the benefit of those who joined the List afterwards, it was
proposed and endorsed on the List, that a Fund should be established. Two main
aims were set for the Fund:
1. To assist the Families of the massacre victims
2. To assist in paying the legal bills of victims of human rights abuse
The purpose of this mail is to give you an update of what has so far transpired,
the plan for action and the thoughts and ideas so far developed by our joined
efforts as the co-ordinating team to that effect. Even though Soffie and Alpha
were selected as coordinators in the U.S. and Europe respectively, Karamba, who
played an important role in the whole process continued to play an active role in
all efforts following the establishment of the co-ordinating committee. First
we'll give you an update on the amount thus collected before proceeding to deal
with what has so far transpired towards the achievement of the aims stated above.
The State of The accounts
Two separate accounts have been opened in The U.S. and in Europe respectively.
The state of the account in the U.S. can be accessed by anyone at
http://www.gambian.com/. Up to the time of compiling this report $4,033.00 (four
thousand and thirty three U.S. Dollars) have been collected in the U.S. and
Canada. The account in Europe has so far 1,000.00 Dkr. (one thousand danish
kroners. A service charge of 165 kroners was also paid from the total amount
collected, making a total of 1,165.00 Dkr) from Denmark; more is expected from
Denmark after a planed meeting on the 20th of May 2000. In Sweden, 5, 419.50
Swedish Kronors have so far been collected and more is expected from further
fundraising activities in the very near future. Gambians resident in Finland and
Norway have indicated that their contributions will be forthcoming soon. In the
U.K. and Germany too, contributions are being collected. The amount collected in
Germany so far stands at 200.00DM. Further contributions are expected after a
planed meeting in May 2000. One problem hampering transfer of money to the
designated account within Europe is the high service charge involved. Efforts are
under way to adjoin the List of Contributors from Europe to that of the U.S. on
the same Web site. These lists shall also be made available to Yankuba for the
site designed on behalf of the list and to Kartim and team mates for the “Free
Gambia Web site” they are working on. By the way, contributions are not only
restricted to Gambians. So, friends of The Gambia, here is one way in which you
can pay tribute to the victims of the massacre and human rights abuse.
Contributors who wish to remain anonymous will be treated accordingly.
Progress made so far
It was recognised that efforts from abroad can only be effective with the help of
someone or a group of people co-ordinating things in The Gambia. Some progress
has been made to that effect, but certainly any assistance from people on the
ground will be very highly appreciated.
1. Financial Assistance to victims’ families:
A letter of condolence was sent to the victims’ families and some newspapers in
The Gambia, expressing our condolences and informing them that some financial
assistance will be forthcoming in the near future.
In the meantime, Ancha Bala Gaye has accepted to play a role in co-ordinating
activities relating to our relief efforts. Ancha was contacted following the
announcement on the List of the establishment of a Memorial Foundation in support
of victims’ families through her collective efforts with other people (Ancha was
a member of the GESO team on the List). Sam Sarr of FOROYAA was also suggested,
as reported by Buharry before. He will also be contacted to see how he can work
together with the Memorial Foundation or assist in any other way, if he so
agrees.
For now, we thought it prudent to concentrate efforts on the families of the
dead. We found it particularly necessary to act rapidly in order to ensure that
the financial assistance to these families reach them before the fortieth day.
After assessing the financial situation an amount of 200$ (two hundred U.S.
Dollars) was proposed per family. This amount can be covered from the account in
the U.S. (see State of the accounts above). Taking the number of deaths to be 14,
will bring the total sum required to 2800$ plus 50$ to cover transport etc. Among
the 14 identified so far one body remains unidentified. It was thought that part
of the 200$ due to his yet unknown family can be used to arrange for a fitting
burial and the rest kept until further progress has been made in identifying his
family. Subscribers to the List in The Gambia can play a part in assisting to
identify the contact persons and urging them to contact the co-ordinators on the
ground as soon as possible and indeed in any other way they may deem helpful.
The unresolved question is what to do with the injured. It seems that some of the
students sustained injuries which may result to some form of physical handicap.
How can we help them? Who needs urgent help? Can we assist them to claim damages
from the Government? Some may require further treatment abroad. Are there
organisations which can be contacted for help (Medcine sans Frontier?..) Again,
we will require the help of subscribers on the ground to properly asses the needs
of such people.
2. Legal assistance:
Having received the news that some lawyers have volunteered to represent the
students who were kept in custody illegally, we thought it encouraging to find
out from these lawyers how we can assist them. Ancha intimated to us that the
lawyers rendered voluntary representation, but perhaps we can take over part of
their traveling and material costs incurred in the process. We are trying to
asses with their help, how we can make some contribution to that end.
We are of the opinion that a Fund should be established which will initially
contribute to financing partly or wholly legal assistance required by students
who may be charged for whatever crimes relating to the April massacre
(indications are that no charges have been brought forth yet. However, the
possibility that charges will be made against some of the student leaders cannot
be ruled out, as far as we are informed).
The Fund, however, should be extended to cover cases of human rights abuse in
future, where the victims may encounter difficulties in finding money to pay for
a good lawyer. It was thought that this will be a fitting tribute to the students
who fell while defending their rights.
If we are to go by the present trend, you will appreciate that a lot of money
will be required, but this will be a noble battle to fight. We should therefore
intensify our fundraising efforts. Also, there should be some organisations out
there, which may be in a position to provide some form of assistance. If you know
of any, please contact them or put them in touch with us. Are there any
suggestions of a name for the Fund (if we agree to go ahead)?
Since no person has been charged so far and since the Coroner’s inquest is still
on, we could not come up with any estimates for legal representations. The
outcome of the Inquest and its aftermath and whether student leaders will be
charged or not will determine our course of action in this area. There was
mention of challenging the draconian Codes of Conduct which have reportedly been
drawn by "the Gambia Conferences of Principals of Junior and Senior Secondary
Schools and the Gambia Teachers' Union Executive" for schools in The Gambia
Gambia. We will need some legal advice on this. Are there any initiatives in The
Gambia concerning this matter?
In any case, we need to have someone or a group of people on the ground to
co-ordinate the activities of the Fund. Such persons need to be carefully chosen.
Here, we will be looking for someone who will not be easily intimidated and whose
interest will not conflict with the duties he or she will shoulder. In a
nutshell, by providing legal assistance for victims of human rights abuse, one
will be challenging, the legal authority of those whose decisions and actions
lead to such abuses. Which undemocratic government will endorse the activities of
such persons? One may end up being unemployed or subjected to constant harassment
by the NIA or both; at least the possibility cannot be ruled out. Are there any
suggestions or volunteers?
That was the latest update. We look forward to your comments, suggestions and
criticisms. Your participation will help us to be effective, we therefore welcome
questions and suggestions from you.
Thanks.
Soffie Ceesay, Karamba Touray and Alpha Robinson
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