Some of the nation’s top civil society activists have petitioned the president of UN Human Rights Council over Mama Fatima Singhateh following her appearance at the TRRC on Thursday.
Ms Singhateh was much criticized as she denied enabling Yahya Jammeh when she served twice as the country’s attorney general and minister of justice during the tyrant’s rule. She said she did not know about the human rights violations that took place.
Many accused her of lying to the TRRC and the Gambia civil society have now written to the UN human rights chief seeking her sacking as UN Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material.
In their petition signed by over two dozen of the nation’s top activists, the activists insisted Ms Singhateh is not the right candidate to serve as a Special Rapporteur for such an important thematic area.
The activists in their petition laid out up to nine reasons for why Ms Singhateh’s appointment should be walked back
“Prior, during and after these periods the Gambia had witnessed massive human rights violations for which Mama Fatima Singhateh had made no efforts to ensure that the Government of The Gambia abide by the rule of law and uphold fundamental rights and freedoms as enshrined in The Gambian Constitution and in fulfillment of the international obligations of the Government,” the activists told Elisabeth TICHY-FISSLBERGER in one instance, as they referenced the two periods Ms Singhateh served as attorney general.
During her appearance before the TRRC, Ms Singhateh slammed the nation’s civil society as ‘so-called’ who did not bring human rights violations issues to the attention of her office.
