Gambia: The Best Hospitality to Show Human Rights Defenders Is to Release Detainees in Their Honour

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The Government of the Gambia has invited Human Rights defenders to a reception. Since Gambia is the home of the African Commission on Human and People's Rights, its human rights record should be exemplary. Foroyaa has left no stone unturned in scrutinising and criticising all detentions without trial.

Now that the Commission is holding its session and the government decided to host a reception for the human rights defenders in attendance, it is necessary to back words with deeds by inviting the commissioners at the end of their session and hand over all those who are detained without trial to them with a promise that they will never put any sovereign person on detention without trial. Without such a gesture, the dinners could be seen as mere window dressing. Let us hope that the dinner is meant to serve as a rapprochement with the human rights community which will be backed by real compliance with human rights provisions.

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