Banjul — The West African Bar Association (WABA) in collaboration with the Gambia Bar Association, recently organised a day's interaction sessions for legal and media practitioners on the promotion of human rights in West Africa, at the Sheraton Resort and Spar, supported by Mac Arthur Foundation.

The interaction which drew participants from Sierra Leone, Guinea Conakry, Nigeria, Mali, Togo and The Gambia, aimed at enhancing and strengthening relationship between the Bar and the media in the promotion of human rights in the region. Femi Falana, the president of the West African Bar Association, said "having regard to the brazen breach of the Constitution of Guinea and Niger by military and civilian dictators and the worsening human rights record in many states in West Africa, the session could have not come at a more opportune timeÂ".

The bar, the media and other civil society groups in West Africa, Falana observed, should fight along with the people of Guinea and Niger to restore constitutionalism in both countries. While WABA is supporting the investigation being conducted by the Special Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, with respect to the killings in Guinea, he said it is going to work with the Guinean Bar Association in demanding for compensation for the families of those who were massacred by the armed gendarmes during the September 28 rally in Conakry.

Falana said in view of the weakness of the judiciary in some member states of ECOWAS, it is remarkable that many community citizens are turning to the community court of justice for the enforcement of their human rights. He then used the occasion to thank the government of The Gambia for its hospitality and the Mac Arthur Foundation for supporting the programme. For her part, Amie Bensouda, president of the Gambia Bar Association, said a lot of progress has been made in Africa in promoting and creating awareness on human rights.

However, she observed that the Bar Associations, which represent the biggest collection of human rights defenders throughout the world, should take their place among the civil society organisations with the greatest influence on the work of the commission. Â"I am therefore pleased that the outcome of this meeting will be a communiqué to be presented to the African commissionÂ", Bensouda said. An alliance of the media and the bar, she said, would be a dynamic force in creating effective networks, raising public awareness and advocacy campaigning.

Bensouda then called on the media and legal practitioners to be steadfast in their professions and to always distance themselves from activities that may hamper the rights of others. Abubacarr Sidiq Camara, representative of the Guinea Bar Association, called on African countries to come to GuineaÂ's aid, saying "Guinea is currently undergoing a very difficult situationÂ". Immediately after the death of Lansana Konteh, Camara said human right was severely trampled down.

"The 28 September incident was an unforgettable time in Guinea,Â" he said. While describing the two-day session as an important event, Camara further used the gathering to appeal to African countries to come to Guinea in order to restore peace and constitutional order in the country.