Fear Rules: Life Imprisonment for Wearing a T-Shirt The Deteriorating Human Rights Situation in Gambia
Event co-hosted by Amnesty International UK and the Bar Human Rights Committee (BHRC)
12 June 2013 at 6.00 pm
Venue: Amnesty International UK, 17-25 New Inn Yard, London,
EC2A 3EA. Get directions
Outline
The human rights situation in Gambia, already poor, has deteriorated markedly in recent years. In August 2012, for the first time in nearly 30 years, the death penalty was carried out, as nine death row inmates were executed without prior notification. Government opponents and human rights defenders face arbitrary arrest, torture and detention. The judiciary lack independence and government opponents are continuously prosecuted in a system devoid of free and fair trial. The President has repeatedly issued vitriolic homophobic statements and threatened to “cut off the head” of any LGBT person found in the country. As a result of the human rights situation, significant numbers of Gambians seek asylum in the UK every year.
The aim of the seminar is to raise awareness as to the human rights situation in Gambia and the experiences of Gambian nationals seeking international protection in the UK. The event will be followed by a reception.
Speakers
Dr. Amadou Scattred Janneh Founder member and Coordinator of the ‘Coalition for Change – The Gambia’ (CCG) and previously served as Gambia’s Minister of Information and Communications. Dr Janneh was arrested in June 2011 and sentenced to life imprisonment for distributing t-shirts that featured the slogan “End to Dictatorship Now”. He was released in September 2012.
Ndey Tapha Sosseh Secretary General of Civil Society Associations Gambia (CSAG) and also a founder member and Secretary General of CCG. Mr Ndey Tapha was also charged with treason in 2011, relating to the distribution of t-shirts by CCG and charged in absentia.
Ben Cooper Barrister at Doughty Street Chambers. He specializes in extradition law. Full profile
Paul Dillane Amnesty International UK’s Refugee Researcher and responsible for the organization’s involvement in refugee litigation in the UK
Chaired by:
Kirsty Brimelow QC BHRC Chairwoman. Barrister at Doughty Street Chambers. Full profile The event is free of charge. Please RSVP directly to [email protected] 2 CPD (in application)