DAKAR, Nov 2, (APP/AFP) – Intimidation of opposition parties, media repression and politicised security forces have “all but extinguished” the chance of a free and fair election in the Gambia next month, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday. In a report released a month ahead of a vote expected to deliver President Yahya Jammeh’s fifth term in power, the rights group said the strongman’s tightening grip on Gambian society meant a truly democratic process was unlikely. The “climate of fear among many opposition politicians and activists… severely limits their ability to criticise Jammeh and his government,” said the report, entitled “More fear than fair”. Since April, activists with the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) have been arrested during peaceful protests and at least two have died in custody, while several more are serving three-year jail sentences for holding demonstrations.
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‘No hope’ of fair election in Gambia: Human Rights Watch
