THE GAMBIA: FOLLOW-UP DEMARCHE ON DETAINEES

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANJUL 000225

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DAKAR PASS RAO, DAO, AND ODC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2016
TAGS: PROG PREL PHUM PINS CASC ASEC KMCA GA SG
SUBJECT: THE GAMBIA: FOLLOW-UP DEMARCHE ON DETAINEES

REF: A. BANJUL 222 AND PREVIOUS


B. BANJUL 212

Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOSEPH STAFFORD, REASON 1.4 (B AND D)

FOLLOW-UP DEMARCHE ON DETAINEES, ACCESS TO AMCIT
-------------- --------------


1. (C) Ambassador met April 13 with Foreign Minister's
deputy, William Joof, to reiterate our concern over
authorities' reported abuses following the March 21 aborted
coup plot and to reiterate our request for prompt access to
detained American citizen (dual national) Tamsir Jasseh (ref
a). (NOTE: Ambassador requested meeting with Joof rather than
his nominal superior, Formin Lamin Kaba Bajo, as Joof is more
knowledgeable and influential with President Jammeh than the
Minister. END NOTE) Reiterating points previously made to
the senior presidential adviser, Secretary General Mambury
Njie (ref b),Ambassador emphasized our concern over the
ongoing reports of mistreatment of detainees suspected of
involvement in the failed plot.


2. (C) Ambassador urged the GOTG leadership to put a stop to
abuses, allow detainees access to lawyers and family members,
and ensure due process for the accused. He also urged
cooperation with concerned international organizations such
as the ICRC. (NOTE: ICRC rep told us April 12 that GOTG had
so far refused his request to visit detainees; at ICRC rep's
request, Ambassador refrained from telling Joof of ICRC's
contact with Embassy. END NOTE) Ambassador also noted the
ongoing closure of the journal, "Independent" and detention
of its General Manager and Editor-in-Chief, urging that the
paper be allowed to resume publication and that any judicial
proceedings against its personnel be open and transparent.
He also noted the repercussions of this latest negative trend
in the GOTG's human rights record for its eligibility for the
Millenium Challenge Account (MCA) program.


3. (C) Joof said he would ensure that Jammeh was aware of our
concerns and took Ambassador's point that the GOTG's ongoing
silence over its investigation into the failed plot and
status of detainees only added fuel to rumors of, inter alia,
secret executions. Regarding our repeated requests to see
Amcit Jasseh, Joof said he would continue to raise this with
security authorities, but noted that Jasseh also had Gambian
nationality and remarked, "we consider that he was acting as
a Gambian, not an American, in participating in the coup
attempt." Joof added that Jasseh was regarded as a major
figure in the failed plot and that access to him, as for
other detainees, might not be granted so long as
interrogations were continuing. In response, Ambassador
emphasized that, with the passage of time since Jasseh's
March 24 detention, our prompt access to him was all the more
important.

COMMENT
--------------


4. (C) Since our April 10 update on the failed coup plot's
aftermath, we have been unable to obtain any updated
information on detainees' status, as our official sources
have professed ignorance on this score and our private
sources have no direct knowledge regarding the detainees.
There is likewise no new information available on the
"Independent' and prospects for its resuming publication.
Meanwhile, such rumors as that of the secret execution of
detainees that had escaped, according to the GOTG, continue
to circulate. At this juncture, we conclude that Jammeh's
determination to ferret out all involved in any way in the
coup plot outweighs concern over the damage to his image at
home as well as abroad over the ongoing reports of abuse of
detainees and move against the "Independent." END COMMENT.
STAFFORD