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PLACE DU PETIT-SACONNEX
1211 GENEVA 19, SWITZERLAND

Case N° GMB/01 - LAMIN WA JUWARA - GAMBIA

Resolution adopted without a vote by the Inter-Parliamentary Council at its 159th session
(Beijing, 21 September 1996)


The Inter-Parliamentary Council,

Referring to the outline of the case, as contained in the report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians (CL/159/11(a)-R.1), and to the resolution adopted at its 158th session (April 1996), concerning the case of Mr. Lamin wa Juwara, of Gambia,

Recalling that Mr. Lamin wa Juwara, a member of the dissolved Parliament, was reportedly arrested in October 1995 by a special police team and that he is believed to be held in army barracks in Georgetown; that, however, when his wife, Ms. Soma Jallow, went there in the hope of seeing him, she was told by the local authorities that they had no knowledge of her husband's whereabouts; and that he has thus "disappeared",

Considering that Mr. Juwara's life may be in great danger,

1. Deeply regrets that, in such a serious matter, the authorities have not deemed it necessary to reply to the repeated requests for information addressed to them regarding the situation of Mr. Juwara, a Gambian national;

2. Emphasizes that the Committee's Procedure is based on the principle of dialogue and international co-operation, thus enabling it independently and impartially to cross-check the allegations submitted to it;

3. Remains extremely concerned at the arrest and subsequent disappearance of Mr. Juwara, particularly in view of the allegation that he was arrested and taken away by a special police team acting on State authority;

4. Recalls that it is the fundamental obligation of the State to guarantee and protect the right to life and safety of its nationals and that, therefore, it has a duty to make every effort to shed light on the situation of any disappeared person by means of diligent and thorough investigations;

5. Emphasizes that Gambia is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and therefore bound to respect the rights established therein, such as the right to life and personal safety;

6. Reiterates its wish to receive full information on the nature and outcome of the investigation, if any, carried out into Mr. Juwara's disappearance;

7. Reiterates also, should Mr. Juwara in fact be detained, its wish to ascertain:

(i) The precise date of his arrest;

(ii) The legal grounds for his arrest;

(iii) The charges against him;

(iv) The precise facts adduced in support of the charges;

(v) The prospects of his being brought to trial;

8. Requests the Secretary General to convey these concerns and considerations to the competent authorities, urging them to supply the requested information so that it may not be forced to conclude that the allegations are correct and that Mr. Lamin wa Juwara is indeed a victim of a manifest violation of his human rights;

9. Requests the Secretary General also to contact any other individual or body likely to supply information on the whereabouts and current situation of Mr. Juwara;

10. Calls upon all National Groups and their Parliaments, in particular those whose countries have particular ties to Gambia, to use every means at their disposal to press the Committee's and Council's concerns with the competent Gambian authorities;

11. Requests the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians to pursue the examination of this case and report to it at its next session (April 1997).


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