THE GAMBIA: UPDATE ON HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANJUL 000167

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DAKAR PLS PASS RAO, DAO, AND ODC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/31/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM KMCA KISL GA
SUBJECT: THE GAMBIA: UPDATE ON HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION

REF: A. BANJUL 124 ET AL

B. BANJUL 100 ET AL (ALL NOTAL)

BANJUL 00000167 001.2 OF 002


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

SUMMARY
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1. (C) In recent discussions on the negative human rights
trend here, our contacts were downbeat on prospects for early
improvement. A reform-minded Muslim cleric, Imam Baba Leigh,
portrayed a cowed and co-opted Islamic relgious establishment
as unwilling to confront President Jammeh over the GOTG's
deteriorating human rights record -- exemplified by the March
28 detention of a U.S.-based critic, Fatou Jaw Manneh, on her
arrival at Banjul airport. Editor-in-Chief of the private
daily, the "Point," Pap Saine, spoke of a "climate of fear"
among journalists and said he feared that authorities would
close his paper and arrest him were he to publish stories
about the controversy over Jammeh's HIV/AIDS and asthma
treatment programs. On a more positive note, two opposition
politicians, National Assembly deputy Seedia Jatta of the
National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD) and
former deputy Hamat Bah of the National Reconciliation Party
(NRP),vowed to continue working through the political system
-- despite the reduced "space" -- in order to promote
liberalization. The Embassy will continue to seek
opportunities to press the GOTG for reversal of the negative
human rights trend, but Jammeh's increasingly autocratic
behavior serves as a major constraint on our and other
Western reps' efforts. END SUMMARY

OVERVIEW
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2. (C) Ambassador and Emboffs recently held a series of
meetings with Embassy contacts to get their assessments of
the human rights situation here and prospects for
improvement. Our interlocutors included an Islamic religious
leader, Imam Baba Leigh, editor-in-chief of an independent
daily, Pap Saine, and two opposition politicians,
parliamentarian Seedia Jatta, affiliated with the National
Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD),and the head
of the National Reconciliation Party (NRP),Hamat Bah. Our
sources were generally downbeat, dismissing prospects for an
imminent reversal of the negative human rights trend evident
in The Gambia over the past year and a half. They portrayed
the country's erratic, volatile President, Yahya Jammeh, as
increasingly autocratic and -- despite the passage of time
since the abortive coup plot in March 2006 -- still deeply
preoccupied with the security of his government. They
expressed worry that, given Jammeh's authoritarian instincts,
The Gambia's currently restrictive human rights and political
arenas would likely persist for some time.

ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS FIGURE'S CONCERN
--------------


3. (C) Imam Baba Leigh, known for his liberal,reformist
outlook, registered special concern over Gambian authorities'
disregard for the rule of law, citing the upsurge in such
abuses as arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention without
charge since the failed coup plot. (COMMENT: In the most
recent example of such abuses, we note the March 28 detention
of a prominent U.S.-based Gambian journalist and
anti-government critic, Fatou Jaw Manneh, on her arrival in
the country for a family visit. The NGO, Reporters without
Borders, has issued a statement condemning authorities'
action and calling for her release. The GOTG has issued no
statement on her detention; according to our sources, she
remains in custody and is being questioned by officials of
the National Intelligence Agency (NIA). END COMMENT) He
lamented that the police and security forces seemed
increasingly free to act with impunity, asserting that, by
and large, neither the Justice Ministry nor the judiciary
displayed the autonomy and assertiveness to bring officials
to account for excesses.


4. (C) In response to our question, Baba Leigh ruled out the
possibility of The Gambia's Islamic religious leaders
approaching Jammeh to press for an end to abuses. He
explained that these leaders -- e.g., members of the Supreme
Islamic Council -- had been cowed or co-opted by Jammeh, and
hence were unwilling to confront the President. Baba Leigh
added that he personally had repeatedly sought an appointment
with Jammeh, but had been rebuffed. Baba Leigh acknowledged
U.S. pressure on Jammeh to improve the human rights
situation, describing as "appropriate and justified" the
Millenium Challenge Corporation's June 2006 suspension of The

BANJUL 00000167 002.2 OF 002


Gambia's eligibility for the Millenium Challenge Account
program due, inter alia, to slippage in eligibility criteria
in the "ruling justly" category.

RESTRICTIVE MEDIA ENVIRONMENT
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5. (C) Editor-in-chief Pap Saine stated that there was no
sign of an easing in The Gambia's restrictive media
environment and spoke of a "climate of fear" among private
journalists. He said the GOTG's suspected involvement in the
still-unsolved December 2004 assassination of his partner at
the "Point," Deyda Hydara, remained very much on journalists'
minds. Adding to journalists' worry, he continued, was the
GOTG's further media crackdown following the failed coup
plot. (NOTE: Saine was referring to authorities' closure of a
private journal, the "Independent," and prolonged detention
of several members of its staff. END NOTE) Saine observed
that the crackdown was continuing, citing the "disappearance"
and presumed detention since July 2006 of journalist Ebrima
Manneh, formerly with a pro-government journal, the "Daily
Observer." Indicative of the restrictive environment, Saine
said self-censorship by private media institutions had become
common and cited the controversy over Jammeh's HIV/AIDS and
asthma treatment programs as a case in point (ref a). He
said that he dared not publish stories about skepticism over
the effectiveness of the treatment and about reported patient
deaths, as to do so would likely prompt authorities to shut
down his paper and arrest him.


6. (C) Saine said that while he did not expect authorities to
permit the "Independent" to resume publication, he still held
out some hope that they would permit a radio station shut
down in October 2005, Senegalese-owned SUD FM, to resume
broadcasting. According to Saine, Senegal-based SUD FM reps
had recently travelled here to seek restoration of their
broadcasting license, but their visit had proved fruitless,
as they had been unable to meet with concerned GOTG
officials. Despite this setback, Saine expected SUD FM's
management to continue efforts to return to the airwaves.

OPPOSITION POLITICIANS' DETERMINATION
--------------


7. (C) Opposition politicians Seedia Jatta and Hamat Bah
echoed our other interlocutors in bemoaning the deterioration
in the overall human rights situation and the less tolerant
political arena. At the same time, both stressed their
determination to continue to work within the system and
promote liberalization. Jatta, the sole incumbent opposition
deputy among three in the National Assembly to win
re-election in the January ballotting, vowed to work closely
with the four newly elected deputies affiliated with the
rival opposition United Democratic Party (UDP). (NOTE: The
opposition parties hold five out of 53 seats in the National
Assembly. END NOTE) As for Bah, a former parliamentarian
narrowly defeated in the January contest by the ruling APRC
party's candidate, he asserted that he would be a
presidential candidate in the next presidential election,
scheduled for 2011. He said that, in preparation for his
presidential bid, he planned to launch soon a nationwide
campaign to develop his party's membership and structures.
While recognizing Jammeh's and his APRC party's dominance of
what little remained of "political space" in The Gambia, Bah
insisted that there was still sufficient room for him in that
"space" to make his party-building and presidential
initiatives feasible.

COMMENT
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8. (C) The GOTG itself has shown little willingness in recent
months to engage with us in substantive fashion on human
rights issues, declining our proposal to consult on steps it
could take to address human rights-related and other concerns
and thereby begin the process of seeking restoration of MCA
eligibility (ref b). The GOTG has maintained silence over
our recently-published Country Report on Human Rights
Practices, which amply documents the deterioration in the
GOTG's human rights record in 2006. We will continue to look
for ways to press for reversal of the negative human rights
trend here, but President Jammeh's increasingly autocratic
behavior serves as a major constraint on our efforts and
those of other Western representatives, e.g, the UK and
European Union. END COMMENT


STAFFORD