Banjul, 18 May 2021: IHRDA is organizing a 2-day international conference on good practices in the search of disappeared persons and victims of extrajudicial killing in The Gambia. The conference that runs from 18-19 May 2021 brings together victims of enforced disappearances (ED) and extra-judicial killings (EJK) in The Gambia, State/non-State actors, as well as local and international experts on the subject matter, parting in-person and online.
The conference will enable experts and participants to share experiences and best practices from their various settings on the search for disappeared persons and related remedies in the fight to end impunity for ED and EJK. The conference will equally enable participants to brainstorm on ED and EJK in the Gambian context, and the application of international legal instruments and guidelines on the search for disappeared persons in The Gambia. In addition to enabling participants discuss related challenges and way forward, the conference will help to raise awareness about The Gambia transitional justice process and mechanisms involved in the search for disappeared persons.
This conference that was opened by the Gambia Minister of Justice and Attorney General falls within the framework of efforts to ensure access to justice and remedy for victims of human rights violations perpetrated especially by agents of the Yahya Jammeh regime during his 22 years as President of The Gambia. It is one in a series of activities planned for the Gambia in a project jointly implemented in The Gambia, Mexico and Nepal by IHRDA, Trial International, swisspeace, the Human Rights and Justice Centre, and Fundación para la Justicia y Estado Democratico de Derecho (FJEDD), to increase accountability and prevent ED and EJK.
The project is funded by the European Union.
