Gambia withdraws from Commonwealth

[muriel_volestrangler]

The Commonwealth is a voluntary grouping of over 50 countries, many of which are former British colonies. Gambia announced its departure in a statement broadcast late Wednesday on national television.

"The government has withdrawn its membership of the British Commonwealth and decided that the Gambia will never be a member of any neo-colonial institution and will never be party to any institution that represents an extension of colonialism," the statement said.
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The West African nation was called out earlier this year in an annual report on human rights issued by Britain. Unlawful detentions, press crackdowns, and discrimination against minority groups were highlighted as particular human rights abuses in Gambia.

The nation's president, Yahya Jammeh, has been in power since 1994 and is often the focus of human rights complaints against Gambia. He has been reelected three times, most recently in 2006.

http://www.dw.de/gambia-withdraws-from-commonwealth/a-17133383

Reaction:

Commonwealth 'Relief' Over Gambia Withdrawal

On condition of anonymity, a Gambia Foreign Ministry official told news agency AFP the decision to withdraw came after the government's rejection of a Commonwealth proposal to create commissions in capital city Banjul to protect human rights, media rights and fight corruption.
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A Sky News source added: "Because of this poor record, in many ways the Gambia has been heading towards the exit for some time."
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In August 2012, Mr Jammeh came under attack from Amnesty International and others for sending nine prisoners to the firing squad and promising many more would go the same way.

Last year, he warned foreign diplomats that his country would not be "bribed" with aid to accept homosexuality.

http://news.sky.com/story/1149799/commonwealth-relief-over-gambia-withdrawal

The Gambia's Commonwealth withdrawal 'a disaster' - Gambian journalist

Speaking to the BBC from North Carolina in the US, Editor in Chief of The Gambia Echo newspaper Ebrima Sankareh described The Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh as a "despot" who is "trying to shy away from the committee of civilised nations because part of his regime is a blatant disregard of human rights".

"I do not see, and most Gambians that I know do not see, the Commonwealth as an extension of colonialism. Rather we see it as a club of civilised nations coming together to forge ahead for progress," said Mr Sankareh.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24378132

What the Gambian president said at the UN General Assembly:

Gambia: Jammeh Tells UN General Assembly Gays a Threat to Human Existence

In his address on Friday, which lasted over 20 minutes, President Jammeh, known for his tough stance against homosexuality over the years, said that homosexuality, greed and obsession with world domination, "are more deadly than all natural disasters put together."

"Today, after fighting for our freedom and developing our continent we are being prescribed a new religion - Democracy, human rights and good governance," Jammeh said.

"We know for a fact that all living things need to reproduce for posterity. They become extinct when they can no longer reproduce. Therefore, you will all agree with me that any path in promoting the end of human reproduction must be promoting human extinction."

"Could this be called promoting human rights when you advocate for a definitive end for human reproduction and procreation? Those who promote homosexuality want to put an end to human existence. It is becoming an epidemic, and we Muslims and Africans will fight to end this behavior in our countries. We will never accept this."

http://allafrica.com/stories/201309301097.html