By D. Baldeh
The United States Congress has bolstered Gambian Human Rights and political activists long campaign for comprehensive actionable steps towards placing targeted sanctions against the Gambian dictator and his close aides in his government’s dismal human rights records. Gambian activists and their human rights counterparts especially the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights have engaged the US government and other International partners to enact legislation to address the gross human rights violations in the West African State of the Gambia and other dictatorial states in Africa.
The unflinching advocacy led by Jeffrey Smith Human Rights Coordinator at the RFK Center lobbied the Obama Administration and US congress to pay attention to Gambia’s dictator and his constant human rights violations including suppression of the media and political descent in the tiny nation of 2 million people; which hardly gets any attention from the International community mainly due to its economic and political strategic insignificance to world politics. The activists also lobbied the UN for a special rapporteur to Gambia which provided a comprehensive report of rights violations in the country. The UN mission to Gambia in early 2015 was abruptly interrupted and representatives denied access to sensitive parts of the notorious central prison – The Mile II prison which is alleged to be one of the worst jails in modern times. The Jammeh government therefore denied the UN reps access to the prison in fear of uncovering what critics have long called “the hell on earth”.
As a result of hard lobbying and the Jammeh government’s open violation of citizens’ rights including but not limited to extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arrests and torture, kidnappings and suppression of political dissent; the United States Congress has passed a bill title “Global Magnisky Human Rights Accountability Act” giving the US President the authority to impose targeted sanctions on foreign nationals or entities who are responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture and other gross human rights violations. The bill essentially opens the door for the US President to impose travel ban, freezing of assets and other measures to prevent foreign government leaders and their aides to from commiting numerous atrocities only to seek sanctuary in the West.
Observers noted the significance of the bill is that for the first time the targets are not only on the leadership in government but also close aides who are mostly deliberately carrying out heinous crimes on behalf of the government and runs away when the tide turns against them. This is a significant step towards curtailing gross human rights violations against innocent citizens. Pundits said this bill if enforced to the letter would prevent dictators from using their close aides to knowingly commit crimes on behalf of leaders. Reacting to the passage of the US bill Gambian long time Human Rights activists Pa Samba Jow wrote on his face book page “we are getting somewhere – a great step to end impunity” welcoming the long overdue passage of such a bill. He went further and said “this is an import development for all human rights advocates. I hope that tyrants like Jammeh will from henceforth be put on notice that the days of abusing people with impunity are over. As far as we are concerned, Gambian Activists are elated with this development, because we have been lobbying the USA government and Congress to find a way of punishing tyrants like Jammeh who kill and abuse their citizens. We now continue advocacy for the implementation of this act” Concluded an upbeat Pa Samba Jow who is a member of the Democratic Union of Gambian Activists (DUGA) an action oriented activist group which now has a global presents. Many activists believe that this is indeed a step in the right direction and that we empowerment of US Congress the President is now at liberty to effect strict measures against dictators across the globe.
Dictators and their aides are now on notice that any crimes you perpetuate or illegally commit on behalf of the dictator will be held against you individually. This is a significant bill to prevent individual citizens either in uniform or serving the government in any capacity to commit crimes, promote draconian laws and violate the human rights of citizens. All those service men and women now serving the government must understand that they are being closely watched and there will be no sanctuary for them should they allow dictators to use them against the law.
Below are details of the US congress Bill S.284 – 114th Congress
The US Congress has just passed the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
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Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act
(Sec. 3) Authorizes the President to impose U.S. entry and property sanctions against any foreign person (or entity) who:
is responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against individuals in any foreign country seeking to expose illegal activity carried out by government officials, or to obtain, exercise, or promote human rights and freedoms;
acted as an agent of or on behalf of a foreign person in such activities;
is a government official responsible for, or complicit in, ordering or otherwise directing acts of significant corruption or the facilitation or transfer of the proceeds of corruption to foreign jurisdictions; or
has materially assisted or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, such activities.
Prescribes related penalties.
Authorizes the President, with regard to such sanctions, to:
– Waive their application, with prior congressional notification, if in U.S. national security interests; and terminate them under specified conditions.
States that sanctions shall not apply as necessary to comply with the Agreement between the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States regarding the U.N. Headquarters or other applicable international obligations of the United States.
Authorizes the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor to submit to the Department of State the names of foreign persons who may meet the sanctions criteria.
(Sec. 4) Directs the President to report to Congress annually regarding each foreign person sanctioned, the type of sanctions imposed, and the reason for their imposition.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/284