* News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty
International *
25 October 2001
AFR 27/007/2001
188/01
In a letter sent to the President of Gambia today, Amnesty
International is calling on him to immediately and
unconditionally release Mohamed Lamin Sillah, Secretary General
of Amnesty International's Gambian section, who was arrested on
22 October 2001. The organization has also requested a meeting
with President Yahya Jammeh and a delegation is preparing to
travel to Banjul.
"The arrest of Mohamed Lamin Sillah is an open attack on
all human rights defenders in Gambia. We consider it also an
attack on Amnesty International and its worldwide membership. He
has been detained solely because of his active work in defending
human rights," the organization said.
"We are deeply concerned at the continued detention of
Mohamed Lamin Sillah, a valued office-bearer and long-term member
of Amnesty International, whom we consider to be a prisoner of
conscience."
Mohamed Lamin Sillah appears to have been arrested for
critical comments he made in a BBC broadcast. He is detained
without charge, incommunicado, at the National Intelligence
Agency (NIA) in Banjul. Members of a coalition of Gambian human
rights organizations and Amnesty International were denied access
to him on 23 October.
"We are also concerned for his safety in the light of a
well-established pattern of ill-treatment of detainees at the NIA
headquarters," Amnesty International said.
The arrest of Mohamed Lamin Sillah, 36, a former
agricultural science teacher, is one in a series of arrests which
followed President Jammeh's electoral victory, announced on 19
October. At least 13 members of the opposition United Democratic
Party (UDP), were also arrested on and around 22 October and are
currently reported to be held in police custody in Brikama and
Mansa Konko. There have been reports of further additional
arrests of members of the opposition coalition of the UDP, the
Progressive People's Party and the Gambian People's Party.
Others who were arrested included George Christensen, the
owner of an independent radio station, Radio 1FM, and Dr Moudou
Manneh, a member of a coalition of opposition parties. Both men,
now released, were considered by Amnesty International to have
been prisoners of conscience too.
These arrests constitute a serious attack on the right to
liberty, freedom of expression and non-violent political activity
in Gambia. They are in breach of Gambia's obligations under the
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The
obligation undertaken by Gambia under these human rights
instruments is that they should be implemented in good faith.
Background:
Since President Jammeh took power in 1994 in a military coup,
freedom of expression has come under severe attack, both through
repressive legislation and numerous arrests, harassment and
ill-treatment of human rights defenders, journalists and
non-violent critics of the government. On several occasions,
President Jammeh has publicly threatened human rights activists
and opposition politicians. His last such threat was made after
he lifted a ban on political activities in July 2001 prior to the
October presidential elections when he said "anyone bent on
disturbing the peace and stability of the nation would be buried
six feet deep".
Following his re-election, President Jammeh is reported
to have said that while he had been considered punishing his
opponents, he was now set on reconciliation.
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