Musa Jobateh, coordinator and head of programmes for Initiative for the Promotion of Democracy and Good Governance (IPDG) has urged the authorities to recognize and respect basic human rights most especially rights of their citizens.
Jobateh, who is also a human right activist, was speaking during the opening of two day training workshop organized by IPDG aimed at strengthening the capacity of Civil Society Organization (CSO) on freedom of assembly and rights to association.
“Authorities need to recognize and respect the basic human rights of their citizens,” he urged, adding that freedom of expression have to go with responsibility.
He said his organization recognizes freedom of assembly and rights to association vital issues in the new generation of Gambia’s democratic transition.
“We will be examining the history of freedom of assembly and right to association in the country. Since pre dictatorship to post dictatorship era,” he said.
According to him, the training would help enhance knowledge of CSOs on instruments that guaranteed freedom of assembly, rights to association as well as right to participation, adding that: “It also promote the culture of freedom of assembly as well as raise knowledge of CSO s actor on freedom assembly in the Gambia.”
Initiative for the Promotion of Democracy and Good Governance is an organization that has been defending the rights of people for the past autocratic regime of former president Yahya Jammeh.