Gambia: Women’s rights defenders Isatou Touray and Amie Bojang-Sissoho arrested and detained
Published: Thursday, October 28, 2010
Below is the press release about the appalling harassment of Isatou Touray, a Gambian activist on women's human rights, and her colleague Amie Bojang-Sissoho.
Isatou is known to many women in the WHRA as she participated in the 2005 IWRAW training in relation to CEDAW in New York in 2005, when she was the only NGO representative from Gambia.
Below the message is a sign up letter and a number of addresses sent by Women Living Under Muslim Laws.
Could you circulate this message as widely as possible and encourage others to send letters calling for the release of the two women.
Warm regards,
Maeve Taylor
Banúlacht
WLUML Statement on the Arrest of Women's Human Rights Defenders in the
Gambia, Dr. Isatou Touray and Ms. Amie Bojang-Sissoho
The WLUML network is deeply concerned to learn of the arrests of our colleagues
Dr. Isatou Touray and Ms. Amie Bojang-Sissoho on Monday, October 11, 2010 by an
officer of the National Intelligence Agency in the Gambia. According to
reports received, they had been threatened and harassed prior to their arrest,
before being held in police custody until being transferred to the Mile Two
Central Prison on Tuesday, October 12, 2010. The two women were arrested and
detained for an alleged misappropriation of 30,000 euros. Their request for
bail was denied on Tuesday, October 12 and they were ordered to spend eight
days in prison before appearing before the court on Wednesday 20 October.
According to reports received in the last hours, their lawyers,have applied to
the High Court for bail and the matter is set to be heard Friday 15 October at
09:30am.
The WLUML network joins in the calls for the immediate and unconditional
release on bail of Dr. Touray and Ms. Bojang-Sissoho, and urge they are
guaranteed their right to a free and fair trial in an independent and impartial
court; security and dignity of person, and freedom from unlawful detention.
WLUML also maintains that human rights defenders and other members of civil
society must not be threatened, harassed, or prosecuted on the basis of their
peaceable defense of the rights of others.
Dr. Isatou Touray and Ms. Amie Bojang-Sissoho are, respectively, the Executive
Director and Program Coordinator for the Gambia Committee for Traditional
Practices (GAMCOTRAP), and have for many years been active in the promotion of
gender equality, rights of women and children, particularly in the fight
against female genital mutilation and other discriminatory practices. Dr Touray
is also Secretary General of the Inter-African Committee on Traditional
Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (IAC). She was named
'Gambian of the Year' in 2008 by The News and Report Weekly Magazine for
her work around FGM and promoting the rights of women and children. Dr. Touray
is a Board member of Women Living Under Muslim Laws for the past 2 years, and
both women have been active in the network for over a decade. WLUML is a
transnational solidarity network which promotes and protects the rights of
women, especially in Muslim contexts and communities.
GAMCOTRAP is one of the leading organizations working to promote the rights of
women and girls through the abandonment of female genital mutilation and other
harmful practices against women and girls in the Gambia. GAMCOTRAP's years of
struggle and dedicated work has contributed substantially to the development of
women and girls in the Gambia and has also convinced nearly 100 circumcisers to
publicly throw away their knives and abandon this practice.
However, in recent years, the Gambian government has changed its policy and no
longer supports women's and girls rights to bodily integrity and the
elimination of female genital mutilation. Indeed President Jammeh's personal
religious advisor has been given platforms on state radio to advocate FGM,
claiming that it is part of Islam. In 1999, the security of GAMCOTRAP members
was threatened as the President publicly stated that he could not guarantee the
safety of activists who campaign against FGM. This was followed by a directive
to the Director of Radio Television Gambia prohibiting the dissemination of
personal messages that oppose FGM or referring medical risks. Only messages
supporting this practice were allowed in the state media GAMCOTRAP had then
been the first organization of civil society in the Gambia to respond by
sending an open letter of protest to the President. GAMCOTRAP has continued to
work to end female genital mutilation.
In May 2010 the Presidency set up a commission of investigation into the
allegation that GAMCOTRAP had been mis-managing donor funds from an
organization called Yolocamba Solidaridad. The Coalition for Human Rights in
the Gambia states that "After careful investigation, the various reports and
documents, the Committee had concluded that allegations of abuse were
unfounded. But, after presenting her findings, the commission was dissolved and
some of its members dismissed by the Gambian government. A second committee was
then established, but while the GAMCOTRAP [was] awaiting the conclusions of
this second investigation, the two women were arrested and imprisoned."
(http://www.ouestaf.com/Arrestation-de-deux-eminentes-femmes-defenseurs-droits-humains-en-Gambie-Declaration_a3309.html)
It is not only GAMCOTRAP that has been on the radar of the government of
current President Yaya Jammeh should also be recalled that President Jammeh has
consistently made direct threats to activists and defenders of human rights.
Last year he threatened to arrest activists of human rights. In September 2010,
human rights defender and director of Africa in Democracy and Good Governance
(ADG), Edwin Nebolisa Nwakaeme. He was jailed for six months and fined of
10,000 dalasis (about USD $300) by the Banjul Tribunal because he was convicted
for "spreading false news" about the Presidency of the Republic. Nebolisa
was arrested in March 2010 following the publication of a letter he had written
to the chair to announce the appointment of the daughter of President Jammeh as
a goodwill ambassador to Africa to democracy and good governance. The
magistrate had also requested a permanent stay of the organization headed by
Mr. Nebolisa. Recently the government initiated a process to change the
regulation of NGOs placing more restrictions on them, in order to better
control them.
The WLUML network joins in the calls for the immediate and unconditional
release on bail of Dr. Touray and Ms. Bojang-Sissoho. We urge they are
guaranteed their right to a free and fair trial in an independent and impartial
court; security and diginity of person, and freedom from unlawful detention as
guaranteed in Articles 9 and 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR) and Article 6 of the African Charter on Human and
Peoples' Rights, and Article 19 of the Constitution of the Republic of Gambia.
We also urge that if they are not tried within a reasonable time, then without
prejudice to any further proceedings which may be brought against them, they be
released unconditionally.
WLUML also maintains that human rights defenders and other members of civil
society must not be threatened, harassed, or prosecuted on the basis of their
peaceable defense of the rights of others.
Source:
WLUML networkers
WLUML has organised 2 courses of action. One is an online appeal which you can immediately log on to and send the letter from, here
The other action is to send letters, faxes and e-mails to the addresses below. Please copy wluml@wluml.org on all your communications so that they have a copy as well.
Addresses:
Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Gambia to the United Nations Office at Geneva
Mr. Moses Benjamin Jallow
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Permanent Representative
c/o Embassy of the Republic of the Gambia, 117, rue Saint Lazare
75008 Paris, France
Tel: +33 1 72 74 82 61
Fax: +33 1 53 04 05 99
Email:ambgambia_france117@hotmail.com
Salutation: Your Excellency
Mrs. Khadija Rachida Masri
Permanent Delegation of the African Union
Permanent Observer
Postal Address:
P.O. Box 127
1211 Geneva 21
Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 716 06 40
Fax: +41 22 731 68 18
Email: mission-observer.au@africanunion.ch
Website: http://www.africa-union.org
Salutation: Your Excellency
Madame Reine Alapini-Gansou
African Commission on Human and People's Rights
Chairperson
04 B.P. 0608, Cotonou, Bénin
E-mail : alapinireine@yahoo.fr
Salutation: Your Excellency
Ms. Faith Pansy Tlakula
African Commission for Human Rights
Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa
Election House
260, Walker Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria
P. O. Box 7943, Pretoria 0001
South Africa
Tel.: (27) 12 428 5516
Fax: (27) 12 428 5592
E-mail:tlakulap@elections.org.za
Salutation: Your Excellency
Mr. Mohamed Khalfallah
1 Rue de Kirovakan
Bagneux, 92220 France
African Commission for Human Rights
Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in Africa
Tel: + 33 - 685 04 32 52
Fax: + 33 - 147 35 22 22
Email:ladhp.ligue.africaine@wanadoo.fr
Salutation: Your Excellency
President Jammeh
Private Mail Bag
State House,
Banjul, The Gambia
http://www.statehouse.gm/text/text-contact.html
Telephones:
General Information Line: +(220)-4223811
Secretary-General: +(220)-4228917 or + (220) 4228933
Chief of Protocol: + (220)-4201530 or + (220) 4200400
Director of Press/Public Relations: + (220) 4223851 or + (220) 4226696
Emails:
info@statehouse.gm(General)and dppr@statehouse.gm(Press)
Salutation: Your Excellency
Hon. Edward Gomez
Attorney General and Minister of Justice
Attorney General Chambers
Ministry of Justice
Marina Parade
Banjul, The Gambia
info@moj.gov.gm
(t)+ (220) 422 5352
(f) +(220) 422 9908
Salutation: Your Excellency
Omar Touray
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad
Marina Parade Banjul, The Gambia
info@mofa.gov.gm
(t) +(220) 422 3578 or 422 3577
(f) + (220) 422 7917
Salutation: Your Excellency
H.E. Aja Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy
Vice-President and Minister of Women's Affairs
Office of The Vice President State House
Banjul, The Gambia
info@ovp.gov.gm
(t) +(220) 422 7605 or 420 1878
(f) + (220) 422 4401 or 422 4012
Salutation: Your Excellency
Please contact:
Gambian Embassy in the UK
57 Kensington Court
London, United Kingdom
W8 5DG
Tel: 020 7937 6316/7/8
Fax: 020 7937 9095
Salutation: Your Excellency