BANJUL / GENEVA (19 June 2017) – The Gambia is witnessing encouraging signs in moves to shed light on past human rights violations, including enforced disappearances, but must involve families fully in the process, a delegation of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances said today.

“We welcome the commitments made by the Government of The Gambia to embark on comprehensive reforms, including measures to ensure truth, justice and reparation for victims, as well as prevent any recurrence of disappearances in the future,” said the Group’s Chair Houria Es-Slami and fellow delegation member Henrikas Mickevicius at the end of an official visit* to the country.

The experts said they had heard “deeply saddening” stories first-hand from the families of some of those who had disappeared.

“We reaffirm our solidarity with all the victims and their relatives,” the experts said. “Their continued suffering is living proof that enforced disappearance is a continuous crime and a permanent violation of their human rights until the fate or whereabouts of the victim is clarified.”

The delegation welcomed plans for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), announced by the Government as one of the first and main measures to address the violations as part of a transitional justice process.

“We support the establishment of this mechanism, while stressing that transitional justice measures must be understood in a broader way,” noted the experts.

“All measures dealing with truth, justice and reparation should be designed and implemented simultaneously, and should be inclusive, consultative, gender-sensitive and participatory.

“It is of utmost importance to genuinely include from the outset families of people who disappeared and the organizations representing them in the consultation process. It is also essential to manage the legitimate expectations of victims, including through clear and regular communication.”

The experts also called for human rights vetting in the security sector, and a strengthening of the efficiency and independence of the judiciary. No one involved in past human rights violations can take part in the search, investigation or prosecution of the disappeared persons, they stressed.

They welcomed the steps already taken to shed light on the disappearances, including the identification of two burial sites and the exhumation of four bodies.

“In a few cases suspects have been identified, but the investigation and prosecution processes face ongoing challenges including a lack of resources for identifying bodies and the fact that a number of suspects are at large, in some cases abroad,” observed the expert body.

“It is essential for the national justice systems and the envisaged transitional justice processes to work together given that the lack of accountability for enforced disappearances may be a source for new violations in the future”

They added : “Reconciliation is an essential element of this process but it cannot be achieved at the expense of the rights of the victims.”

The delegation also called for the creation of an adequate legal and institutional framework to prevent future disappearances, welcoming confirmation “at the highest levels” of a commitment to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

A new law introducing a specific offence of enforced disappearance is another early step that should be taken, the experts noted, urging international support for Gambia during its transitional period.

During the eight-day visit, the Working Group delegation visited the Greater Banjul area, Bwiam, Kanilai and Tanji. They met the President, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of the Interior and other high-level State authorities, as well as civil society organizations and relatives of the victims.

A final report on the visit will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2018.

ENDS

(*) Read the Working Group’s preliminary observations : http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=21771&LangID=E

You can read this press release online : here.

The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances is comprised of five independent experts from all regions of the world. The Chair-Rapporteur is Ms. Houria Es-Slami (Morocco) and the Vice-Chair is Mr. Bernard Duhaime (Canada) ; other members are Mr. Tae-Ung Baik (Republic of Korea), Mr. Luciano Hazan (Argentina) and Mr. Henrikas Mickevicius (Lithuania).

The Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms. Special Procedures mandate-holders are independent human rights experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. They are not UN staff and are independent from any government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and do not receive a salary for their work.

UN Human Rights, country page : Gambia

For more information and media requests : Ugo Cedrangolo +41 22 9179286 / ucedrangolo@ohchr.org or Josephine Agofure (+220 4494820 / josephine.agofure@undp.org )

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