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Momodou
Denmark
11713 Posts |
 Posted - 05 Aug 2017 : 12:14:50
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Statement by Dr Amadou Scattred Janneh
Representative of The Gambia Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations
At the Launching of the National Consultations on The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission
August 4, 2017
My Lord, the Chief Justice, Hassan Jallow; Honorable Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubacarr M. Tambedou; United Nations’ Resident Coordinator, Her Excellency Madam Ade Mamonyane Lekeotje; Honorable members of the national assembly here present; Your Excellencies, members of the diplomatic and consular corps; civil servants; representatives of both local and international NGOs; victims and victims’ families; distinguished ladies and gentlemen.
I feel truly honored and blessed to stand before you here in The Gambia today to deliver a statement related to this country’s transitional justice process. Who would have thought this likely just a few months ago?
This event, the launching of the National Consultations on the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission, is a strong statement on the profound changes that The Gambia is going through. We truly must nurture the seeds of our emergent democracy, where the people’s government values consultations as we forge ahead together.
As a representative of victims, I must say we commend the new government for properly laying the groundwork for the commission. We are aware of the enormity of the task and the many potential pitfalls. It is however our conviction that the government, working in close collaboration with all the relevant stakeholders, will embark on a process that is both transparent and just.
We hope the consultation process will include input from human rights organizations, victims, women’s organizations, youth groups, diaspora representatives, and religious groups among others.
As victims, we are especially pleased that it is contemplated that the TRRC will seek to:
- Establish and make known the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared victims
- Provide victims an opportunity to relate their own accounts of the violations and abuses suffered, and
- Grant reparations to victims.
We also note that the TRRC may be empowered to grant amnesties. We believe it is important to make clear, however, that under international law, amnesties cannot apply to serious crimes such as torture and crimes against humanity.
We see the TRRC as part of a wider effort to pursue accountability through investigations and prosecutions. We hope the TRRC will make recommendations on how perpetrators of serious crimes, including former President Yahya Jammeh, should be held accountable.
In essence, a desire to achieve “reconciliation” (whatever that means in the Gambian context) should not come at the expense of bringing individuals to justice for egregious crimes perpetrated against their fellow human beings. This is a price we are not willing to pay.
Therefore justice must be the centerpiece of the TRRC process. The crown jewel of that exercise is inevitably putting former president Yahya Jammeh on trial for the systematic violations of human rights that he orchestrated from 1994-2017. There can be no viable “reconciliation” unless we hold all those people implicated in gross human rights abuses to account.
Impunity can only be nipped in the bud if dictators and their enablers realize the hefty costs of rights transgressions.
By demanding justice, however, we in no way call for retribution. In fact, we support the maintenance of a system that recognizes and protects the fundamental rights of all, without regard to irrelevant criteria. We are committed to the rule of law and wish to move on with our lives in a climate of peace and tranquility.
Finally, we wish to pledge our unflinching support to the TRRC process and pray that our voices as victims are given the weight we deserve.
I THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION.
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Statement by Dr Amadou Scattred Janneh
