Gambia: President Should Disavow Reported Homophobic Threats
LAGOS, Nigeria, June 11, 2008/African Press Organization (APO)/ — President Yahya Jammeh’s reported threats to expel or kill lesbian and gay people not only encourage hatred, but also contribute to a climate in which basic rights can be assaulted with impunity, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the president released today . Human Rights Watch called on Jammeh to completely disavow all such statements, and to work toward repealing the country’s colonial-era sodomy law, which allows arbitrary and discriminatory arrests and invasion of privacy.
According to the Gambian newspaper, The Daily Observer, Jammeh was quoted as saying, “We are in a Muslim dominated country and I will not and shall never accept such individuals [homosexuals] in this country.” During the speech he also vowed to “cut off the head” of any homosexual caught. The government has since denied that Jammeh called for decapitating homosexuals, without addressing his other reported threats.
Gambia ratified the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights in June 1999. It acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in 1979. Both protect the right to equality and non-discrimination.
In a 2003 report, “More Than a Name: State-Sponsored Homophobia and Its Consequences in Southern Africa” , Human Rights Watch and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission documented how politically motivated expressions of prejudice by leaders in Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe had led to both violence and impunity, and put basic rights to privacy, expression, and association in increased danger.
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According to the Gambian newspaper, The Daily Observer, Jammeh was quoted as saying, “We are in a Muslim dominated country and I will not and shall never accept such individuals [homosexuals] in this country.” During the speech he also vowed to “cut off the head” of any homosexual caught. The government has since denied that Jammeh called for decapitating homosexuals, without addressing his other reported threats.
Gambia ratified the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights in June 1999. It acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in 1979. Both protect the right to equality and non-discrimination.
In a 2003 report, “More Than a Name: State-Sponsored Homophobia and Its Consequences in Southern Africa” , Human Rights Watch and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission documented how politically motivated expressions of prejudice by leaders in Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe had led to both violence and impunity, and put basic rights to privacy, expression, and association in increased danger.
full article
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