Mrs. Hannah Foster, executive director of African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) has said that the laws of the Gambia didn’t prohibit any person to protest, saying it had been seen protesters being subjected to the use of forced and to violence.
Madam Foster made this remark in opening of two- day training organized by Initiative for the Promotion of Democracy and Good Governance (IPDG); held at Regional Education Directorate 1 in Kanifing.
“When you look at the laws of the Gambia you find that it does not prohibit anybody to protest. But then we have seen protesters been subjected to the used of forced and violence. This is something that we as human rights defenders are saying no to,” she said.
“Freedom of assembly and right to association is something that is demanding lot of attention because we have seen protest in The Gambia.”
“We have seen Killa Ace. Even in the provinces people are coming out and I belief that they should come out to say what they didn’t want to see,” she noted.
However, she used the Nigerian riot as reference of wrongful protest where youth vandalizing properties. “This is not the type of protest we are talking about. We are talking about peaceful assembly and protest,” she noted.
The human rights defender further said people can make statements to demand or condemn certain issues in a country without violating the law during the course of the demonstration.
She said is significant for the masses to compote themselves properly and added that they can protest peaceful without engaging into criminal activity.
Notwithstanding Madam Foster recalled the disastrous April 11 student demonstration where many died and others injured. “Is that worthy,” Foster inquiry?
She enlightened young human rights defenders to know that there are series of human rights institutions that can guide them anytime they have challenges on their services.
She challenged the young human rights defenders to know the right things in the law.