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Newfy
Western Samoa
462 Posts |
 Posted - 08 May 2006 : 21:31:16
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This just in from the Observer...
GAMBIA'S HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD IS EXCELLENT- SoS Hydara
Written by DO
Monday, 08 May 2006
Mr Sheikh Tijan Hydara, the Secretary of State for Justice and National Assembly Affairs, has asserted that The Gambia's human rights record is far better than those of most countries.
He made this assertion on Saturday at the Kairaba Hotel while delivering the keynote address at the Forum on the participation of NGOs in the 39th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights and 13th African Human Rights Book Fair. He said: "I can say with pride and conviction that our human rights record, when compared to other countries, is excellent," adding: "This does not however mean that we cannot improve on it."
He then gave the justification for his assertion. "When you visit our prisons, you will find convicted prisoners who are sentenced to death but are still there, breathing and eating without the trauma of thinking when and where they will be executed. These are prisoners who were tried in one way or the other, or were directly or indirectly involved in subversive activities capable of destabilizing the peace and national security of this country. In other countries, they would have been beheaded since, but we say no. Instead, we took them before a competent court, where they were tried and convicted and sentenced to death. But we did not carry it out, even though we have in our laws death penalty. How can anybody then say that human rights are not respected in The Gambia? There was an attempted coup that was foiled. It has been investigated within a very short period of time. They have been arraigned before a court and trial has commenced, though the case has been adjourned until May 10 2006."
According to him, The Gambia should be praised for following the due process in this matter. "What is important here is that some of the people are military personnel. Instead of courtmartialling them, the Government has taken them to a civil court so that the whole world will know the crime they have committed. I can assure you that even in the most developed countries, cases like this are referred to military tribunals, even when they involve civilians. So how can anybody say that we do not respect human rights?" he said.
SoS Hydara reiterated that the Government of The Gambia had no hand in Deyda Hydara's death, arguing that The Point has never been critical of government policies and programmes. He said: "The Point newspaper has never been critical of government, so why would the government have a hand in his death?" According to him, the government is doing everything possible to bring the perpetrators to book. "Investigations are still on," he said.
He maintained that The Gambia Government has been most supportive of the African Commission, affirming that Government is sparing no effort to put it on a sound footing. "I have personally submitted the drawing and the costing for a Permanent Secretariat to the appropriate authorities. Hopefully, something will be done about it. That notwithstanding, there is not a single time that the African Commission wants to hold a meeting and the Government refuses to support. Anytime, they request to hold a meeting, the Government supports it financially, even though it is very costly."
SoS Hydara urged the NGO Forum to disregard information they read on the Internet, as 90% of it is untrue and the remaining 10% mostly exaggerated. He therefore implored them to feel free to ask questions from the various stakeholders and assured them that their questions and concerns will be adequately answered and addressed.
He said: "Non-governmental organisations have been globally acknowledged as the 'public interest sector' of the Human Rights Movement, since NGOs have been playing unprecedented roles in human rights movement of the post-Second World War. Their prominent role does not only stop at investigating, monitoring and reporting on aberrant States, but also goes further in the area of lobbying both national governments and intergovernmental organisations to adhere to international human rights norms."
According to him, this development has gone a long way towards advancing democracy and the respect for human rights within the continent.
SoS Hydara then expounded on the relevance of the NGOs. "We cannot deny the fact that NGOs have been very efficient in carrying out researches and analysing situations of human rights, which in turn puts them in a strategic position to alert States and the international community in time to arrest such situations. We have all witnessed the outcries sent by NGOs in the build-up to the Rwanda Crisis of 1994 and we have as well seen the resultant massacre of human lives that came out of it due to the laxity of the international community to react in time. We have all witnessed how within the span of 100 days, 8000,000 lives were lost and approximately 2 million people fled from the atrocities in Rwanda. Considering that a similar attitude adopted by the international community caused the situation in Darfur barely 1`0 years after the Rwanda
crisis, you would agree with me that the words of NGOs should be given greater value."
For her part, Mrs Hannah Forster, the Executive Director of the African Centre for Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR), said the forum will be mainly concerned with issues and other topics of interest and take into account the formidable challenges on the continent. "As human rights , NGOs and activists, we must continue to live up to the ideals we preach in order to consolidate the foundation already laid - of a perpetual struggle against human rights violation, impunity and other forms of injustice - for liberty is the very essence of our being," she said.
According to her, in some African countries, 2006 is a year of celebrations. "In Liberia, the first Lady President in Africa was elected and we have also seen Charles Taylor extradited to face the International Courts on charges of impunity. In The Gambia, there is progress in the area of women's rights, as the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, which was ratified by The Gambia, has witnessed the lifting of reservations on Articles 5, 6, 7,14. This is great news for the women of this country and a victory to the Members of the National Assembly who lifted the reservation. We are extremely grateful for their cooperation and dedication to women's advancement. With all these developments, I am optimistic that the future can be what we ourselves make it."
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Sitasungo
77 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2006 : 00:23:33
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Hay ,
Is this Hydara a real sheriff?How sure is he that the Government has no hand in the death of Deyda Hydara?I am not accusing the government for the death of Deyda, but anyone having a gun is a suspect and I believe the state should find out where those bullets found came from which gun as there is records of all guns and armunitions in the statebooks.When shall we findout about Deyda's killers?Dooms day?
For Human rights, I am not speaching about asa I don't know what is the different between western Human Rights and that of Africa espacially the Gambian Human rights.
Sitasungo |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2006 : 00:26:11
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Sitasungo
Your avatar is very scary just like your name sake. May be you should send the avatar to Junkung and scare him |
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
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sab
United Kingdom
912 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2006 : 01:06:16
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| I thought it was him, having eaten all the handouts! |
The world would be a poorer place if it was peopled by children whose parents risked nothing in the cause of social justice, for fear of personal loss. (Joe Slovo - African revolutionary) |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2006 : 01:10:25
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Sab
You never know. Junkung's hobby is surfing the internet. He could be one of our bantaba family |
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
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sab
United Kingdom
912 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2006 : 01:23:55
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| Oh no, not Jambo! |
The world would be a poorer place if it was peopled by children whose parents risked nothing in the cause of social justice, for fear of personal loss. (Joe Slovo - African revolutionary) |
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kayjatta
2978 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2006 : 02:06:25
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Did SOS Hydara actually said this statement (culled from the above report):
"SoS Hydara reiterated that the Government of The Gambia had no hand in Deyda Hydara's death, arguing that The Point has never been critical of government policies and programmes. He said: "The Point newspaper has never been critical of government, so why would the government have a hand in his death?" According to him, the government is doing everything possible to bring the perpetrators to book. "Investigations are still on," he said.?"
Is it really true that the POINT was never critical of the Gambia government? Has SOS Hydara lost his mind or what ?
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bamba
Sweden
401 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2006 : 04:02:14
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Sitasungo, there is a world of differences between human rights Europe, America and Africa. A very unbridgable differences. In other words, human rights in America and the west have connotations like racism and the like. The differences of concept make it impossible for uniform approach towards the objectives of human rights.
This time of the year, when flowers are having wild sex all around, is the time I have interrupted sleeps, ussssh!!! Am already up this hour of the morning. After reading text Tv news, what can be more appropiate than power on my laptop for Bantaba to read all senses and nonsenses. Am beginning to get addicted to Bantaba. |
Bamba |
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Newfy
Western Samoa
462 Posts |
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| Bantaba in Cyberspace |
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