The former Vice President of the European Parliament has called on the EU high authorities to impose travel ban and freeze assets of President Yahya Jammeh and his inner circle. David Martin’s call comes ahead of next month’s EU-Africa Summit scheduled for April 2 and in Brussels.
Mr. Matin wants both the EU High Representative on Foreign Affairs, Catherine Aston, and President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barrosso, to help put an end to impunity in the Gambia.
This development came on the heels of a recent visit to Brussels by Dr Amadou Scatred Janneh and Alieu Badara Ceesay of Coalition for Change Gambia (CCG) and Campaign for Human rights in The Gambia (CHRG-UK),Coalition for Change Gambia, respectively. Janneh and Ceesay also had series of meetings with EU officials and parliamentarians who were briefed on the deplorable human rights situation in Gambia. They appealed to the EU to take decisive action aimed at ending repressive rule in the Gambia.
Hon. Martin who is also a delegate to the EU-ACP Joint Parliamentary Assembly, further calls on the EU to ensure human rights, democracy and the rule of law are observed in all aspects of its relations with the Gambia government. “The upcoming EU-Africa Summit is an important opportunity to highlight the deplarable human rights situation in The Gambia,” he said.
“As a member of the EU subcommittee on Human Rights, I called on the Gambian authorities to fully respect human rights and fundamental freedoms including:freedom of expression,association and peaceful assembly,press and media freedom, independent of the judiciary, and to ensure the rule of law,separation of power, fight against impunity and due process as these are important corner stones of any democracy.”
Hon Martin offers his support to the Glasgow based UK Campaign for Human rights in the Gambia, Coalition for Change Gambia and civil society organisations for the commitment they have shown and the work they do to promote democracy,good governance and human rights in the Gambia.
David Martin is Scotland’s most senior European Member of Parliament. A Member of the European Parliament since 1984,Vice chair of the Socialist group 1987-1988, Vice President of the European Parliament from 1989-2004, and lately senior Vice President of the European Parliament with special respnsiblity for relations with national parliaments. He is a member of the European Parliament committee on International Trade.
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