‘’Nous Français, nous aimons le Sénégal et les Sénégalais" (Laurent Fabius)

PRESS RELEASE: Yaya Jammeh of the Gambia.

UNDER EMBARGO TO 00:01GMT 23 July 2012

Gambia: Free activist jailed for life over anti-government T-shirts

An activist serving life imprisonment with hard labour for printing and distributing T-shirts calling for an end to the
dictatorship in The Gambia must be freed, Amnesty International said marking its annual Day of Action calling for
improved human rights in the country.
Dr Amadou Scattred Janneh, the country's former Minister for Information and Communication, was arrested in June
2011 after printing and distributing T-shirts made by the NGO ‘Coalition for Change – The Gambia’ (CCG) which
featured the slogan "End to Dictatorship Now". He was found guilty of treason in January 2012.
Every year in The Gambia journalists, human rights activists and political opponents are unlawfully arrested, tortured,
harassed and threatened making it impossible for them to do their work. The prospect of a fair trial for most people is
bleak.
“Dr Janneh is a prisoner of conscience and is emblematic of the horrific human rights situation that prevails in the
Gambia today,” said Ayodele Ameen, Amnesty International’s Gambia campaigner.
“President Yahya Jammeh continues to show a zero-tolerance attitude to any form of criticism and ruthlessly persecutes
anyone who speaks out.”
The blatant disregard for human rights in The Gambia continues as earlier this year President Jammeh gave
instructions to the security forces including the Inspector General of Police, to “shoot first and ask questions later” in an
attempt to rid the country of “armed robbers”.
Amnesty International has warned that such a hard-handed crackdown on criminal activity will lead to further human
rights violations.
“The police and other security forces have a duty to protect lives and property and uphold the rule of law. They must do
so in a professional and responsible manner that promotes and protects human rights of all individuals, including the
rights of criminals and alleged criminals,” said Ameen.
Amnesty International has documented a wide range of human rights violations in The Gambia including enforced
disappearances that are yet to be resolved and unlawful killings by security forces who have not been identified and
brought to justice.
“The dire human rights situation in The Gambia and the restriction on freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly
makes President Jammeh’s self-proclaimed ‘freedom day’ laughable,” said Ameen.
“The Gambia must stop making a mockery of its international and regional human rights obligations and ensure the
human rights of all people in the country are respected, protected and fulfilled”