“These men are prisoners of conscience and must be released immediately and unconditionally. Gambia must stop such acts of persecution and allow criticism to be heard in the country,” said Lucy Freeman AI researcher on the Gambia in a press release.

She revealed that journalists and activists in Gambia are routinely subjected to human rights violations, such as unlawful arrests and detentions, torture, unfair trials, harassment, assaults and death threats, making it extremely difficult for them to do their work.

Amnesty International has urged the international community to publicly condemn human rights violations in the Gambia, such as arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances.

Gambian activist Dr Amadou Scattred Janneh was sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour for treason.

According to Lucy Freeman, Amnesty International’s researcher on the Gambia; “The conviction of these men is a violation of their rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association.”
Amnesty International today called for the immediate release of four activists arrested over the distribution of T-shirts calling for an end to dictatorship in the Gambia.

One activist, Dr Amadou Scattred Janneh, the country's former Minister for Information and Communication, was yesterday sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour for treason. Modou Keita, Ebrima Jallow and Michael Uche Thomas were each sentenced to three years with hard labour for sedition.

The four were arrested in June 2011 after distributing T-shirts made by the NGO “Coalition for Change – The Gambia” (CCG), which featured the slogan "End to Dictatorship Now".

“The conviction of these men is a violation of their rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association,” said Lucy Freeman, Amnesty International’s researcher on the Gambia.

“President Jammeh is once again proving that he does not tolerate any form of criticism and is ruthlessly persecuting anyone who speaks out against his regime.”

Dr Amadou Scattred Janneh, who has American citizenship, was arrested in his office on 7th June, 2011 for being in possession of the CCG T-shirts. Michael Uche Thomas, a Nigerian, and Modou Keita and Ebrima Jallow, both Gambians, were arrested on the same day, accused of printing the T-shirts.