Gambian human rights lawyer urges cooperation in the arrest of al Bashir

A founding member of the Banjul-based human rights body, the Foundation for Legal Aid Research (FLARE), on Wednesday called on countries that are signatories to the instrument that established the International Criminal Court (ICC) to cooperate with the International Tribunal and arrest Sudanese President, Omar al Bashir.

Almami Taal, the FLARE coordinator, said the warrant issued by the ICC on Wednesday for the arrest of President al Bashir was long over due. He said issues affecting the African continent are not seriously taken up by continental bodies, therefore he said the ICC should be a non-compromising and fearless advocate against leaders that are committing human rights violations against their own people.

He remarked, “I really believe that the era of accountability in the criminal justice area should be about bringing to account the leaders at the highest level.”

The human rights lawyer said most of the criminal activities that happen within borders or across borders in Africa are dealt with quite effectively; adding that there are a lot of instruments in respect of money laundering, drug trafficking and other white coloured crimes.

“But when it comes to human rights violations, crimes against humanity and crimes of genocide, there has been very little continental or trans-border instruments and processes that could actualize human rights for all in the continent,” he said.

He continued, “So the ICC issuing an arrest warrant against al Bashir cannot come at a better time; because people like al Bashir should be tried openly and before an international tribunal so that their crimes against their own people could have a chance of being punished.”

Taal further stated that when prosecutors at the ICC started the process against al Bashir, there has been a lot of talk in Africa that only Africans are subjected to this type of procedure. But he was quick to add that such a claim is rubbish, adding that everyone was happy when Radavan Karadvic was arrested after several years of indictment by the Court. Therefore, he said this process should not be seen as targeting Africans.

Courtesy of APA

PK's BEEF:An insult to Gambians

Recent media reports of witch hunters forcefully entering people’s homes and detaining them in Kotu on suspicion of being witches and wizards is indeed and insult to Gambian men and women.

I first thought the stories were untrue. I thought they were untrue because I never imagined that a government in its right sense will hire a group of weirdoes from another country, provide them with military escort and give them 100 per cent backing to go round innocent people’s houses and mistreat them for being witches and wizards.

The action of these witch hunters is criminal as it goes against the provisions of the 1997 constitution and other laws of the country. And I will advise anyone who has been forcefully arrested, detained or mistreated in any way by this group of weirdoes to take them to court.

What type of nonsense is this and for how long shall the Gambian people continue to sit and allow the APRC government of Yahya Jammeh to treat us any how it wants without giving a monkey to the laws of the land? If Jammeh's government cannot provide us a decent standard of living, let it give us the freedom to live happily in our homes.

I have never believed and will never believe that there exists another breed of humans that fly on a broom in the darkness of night to eat their fellow human beings.

I asked myself what is the motive for hiring these witch hunters? Is Jammeh trying to expose his insecurity or showing his madness to the people. What ever the reason, Jammeh can never convince me that he is truely fit to govern the Gambian people.

The Islamic religion we all pride ourselves to be followers clearly tells us that backbiters are the only witches. And unless it wants to be seen as hypocrites, the Jammeh regime should without delay order an immediate stop to the activities of these witch hunters.

In this 21st century, it is very insulting to see the hard earn resources of the Gambian people being wasted so ridiculously in a so called fight against witches and wizards.

The people who were targeted by these weirdoes must be badly traumatised and I have no doubt in my mind that many of them will be stigmatised by their communities and families. These innocent people will never recover from this trauma and may even visit the land of see me no more before their time is up.

Jammeh have to understand that what is killing the Gambian people is not witches and wizard. What is killing the Gambian people is diseases and poverty. And no matter how much he tries he can never divert people’s attentions to the current hardships they are going through as a result of his incompetence and failures.


A waste of resources

The jailing of four Daily Observer printers for stealing 200 copies of the company was is indeed a waste of our resources.

The men who were first subjected to a trial by the media, pleaded guilty to the charge of theft. And instead of issuing a fine or community orders, the magistrate decided to sent them to the already overcrowded Mile Two Prisons.

Don't get me wrong, am not in anyway condoning what the men did, but I think as first offenders a jail term is too harsh. The men will be eligible for release in a month’s time and the Gambian people are going to pay for their feeding and upkeep while in prison.

Mile Two Prisons should not be used as a punishment centre. Rather, it should be used as a correction centre and if our Magistrates think they are being tough on people petty thiefs by sending them to Mile Two, then let them think again.

Our Mile Two Prisons is overcrowded and magistrates should start issuing fines and community orders to first time offenders found guilty of committing minor offences so as to save the government money.

A welcome development
As I write my column for this week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) have issued an international arrest warrant for the Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

President Al- Bashir who is the first ever sitting president to be indicted by the international court is suspected of being criminally responsible for “intentionally directing attacks against an important part of the civilian population of Darfur, murdering, exterminating, raping, torturing and forcefully transferring larger numbers of civilians and pillaging their properties.”

While I welcome the indictment of Mr Al-Bashir, the ICC should not only focus its attention on war crimes committed in Africa. It should go further by investigating crimes committed in Iraq, Afghanistan as well as recent events in Gaza, Palestine and prosecute those responsible.

Crimes committed against innocent civilian populations must never go unpunished and the indictment of Mr Al-Bashir will sent a clear message to all those murder happy leaders who think that they can order the killing of thousands of people and go to sleep.

Wishing you all a great weekend.