Gambia: Intolerance Of Protest And Rejection Of Results Risks Instability And Repression

Following the announcement on state TV on Friday by President Yahya Jammeh that he rejects the results of the 1st December election results and would not tolerate protest, Sabrina Mahtani, Amnesty International’s West Africa Researcher said:

“President Jammeh’s rejection of the election results and his statement that he will not tolerate protest is an extremely dangerous move that risks leading to instability and possible repression.”

“In recent weeks thousands of Gambians have enjoyed the ability to speak and gather freely, and these rights must continue to be protected. If Gambians decide to exercise their right to peaceful protest we call on the security forces to show restraint, and we expect the international community to condemn any restriction on protest and any other violations that may be committed.”

“Amnesty International will be closely monitoring the situation.”

Background
On 2 December, the President of the Independent Electoral Commission announced that opposition candidate Adama Barrow (Coalition 2016) won the election and President Yahya Jammeh (APRC – Alliance for Patriotic Reconstruction and Construction) accepted his defeat.

Last night on a recorded statement he announced he now rejects “in totality” and called for new elections to be held when resources allow. Under Gambian law any appeal against the results of the election must be filed in the Supreme Court within 10 days of the results.