Today July 22nd is a sad day for all peace loving gambians and democratic people.July 22nd was the day when democracy was assassinated and replaced by a Junta Government which suspended the constitution looted the central Bank/treasure,torture, and kill the Gambian people. Our country The Gambia,once belonged to this select category of countries until democracy was assassinated in 22nd july 1994.A small country with a population of just over a million The Gambia once occupied a pride of place in the concert of civilized nations that practiced democracy and the rule of law.Though,i was not in government but knew The Gambia signed and ratified all the major international democracy and the human rights such as the UN Charter on human rights,The OAU Charter on human and peoples rights and others. What is even more important it respected its obligations under these conventions a fact that has not gone unnoticed.The location of the OAU Commission on Human Rights,and the Center for Human Rights as well as other legal bodies preoccupied with human rights issues is an eloquent testimony of the credentials of The Gambia as far as the respect for human rights is concerned. On July, 22nd 1994 all these changed when a bunch of junior military officers overthrew a democratically elected government and there by marked the end of democracy and the beginning of gross human rights violations on a scale unprecedented in the history of our nation.The military junta never withdrew from these international covenants on human rights yet it never respected its obligations.Close to one [100] hundred decrees were promulgated during the two year transition period most of which sought in one way or the other to rob the gambian people of their rights and financial resources.Stealing money,Drug dealings and other dubious acts became the order of the day. The military rule in The Gambia had two distinct phases: [a]Transition phase and [b]Post-transition phase: In both phases the regime characterized by oppression.During the first military decrees were promulgated by the junta that arrogated to itself the executive and legislative functions.The first among these decrees was decree no.1-suspention and modification decree which suspended parts of the 1970 constitution thus effectively denying the people from participating in any form or manner they were governed.Decree no.45 set up the National intelligence Agency[NIA]-a new security agency which in nothing more than an instrument to oppression in the hands of a autocratic government.From its inception the NIA started harassing,intimidating and torturing opponents of the military junta and up till now their behavior remained unchanged.People were detained at random,beaten at random and released at random without any explanation.Decree no.11 set up the so-called Commission of enquiry to humiliate and discredit potentials political opponents while people money remain unaccounted for,stashed away in Swiss Banks,Citibank in New York and other undiscovered Banks. The press that could have provided a valuable information were arrested,harassed and sometimes deported for writing what is to be written.It was in this regard that Mr..Kenneth Best ,the proprietor of daily observer,who fled his native war-torn Liberia was arrested and deported back to Liberia.Similar west African journalists some of whom fled their countries for fear of their lives were arrested and sent back to the very countries their lives were in dander.This was in complete disregard of the international conventions of refugees.Decree no.70/71 were promulgated to censor the press and up to date these decrees are alive. We still remember Ousman Koro Ceeesay,found dead in his car,his body burnt beyond recognition.Saddibou Hydara who no explanation has,as yet,been given for their death. To celebrate 22nd july,means again lavishing of The Gambia money and no regards for what so ever for democracy and the rule of law. Long live democracy! Thanks Saihou ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------