27 people arrested in protest in Gambia over sale of former dictator's assets
A group called the Gambians Against Looted Assets, or GALA, led the protest. According to a government statement Monday, the sale went through a "legally grounded process.' "At all times, the government acted within the confines of the law and in the public interest,' the Ministry of Justice said. "We condemn the (Inspector General of the Police) denial of our rights to protest and we will take none of it.
We call on all Gambians to stand in opposition to this unlawful behavior of the police and come out in the thousands to take to the streets,' GALA spokesperson Omar Saibo Camara said at a news conference earlier this week. Camara was responding to the government's announcement that it had denied their request to protest.
A government commission was created in 2017 with the goal of looking into the financial dealings of former President Jammeh and his advisers. The commission concluded on Sept. 13, 2019 with a report indicating that the former president had stolen up to $362 million from the country. His two-decade-long rule was marked by arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, according to rights activists. Along with political opponents, Jammeh also targeted journalists and members of the gay community. Jammeh now resides in Equatorial Guinea.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab Times
a day ago
- Arab Times
Menendez brothers to be evaluated by parole board for release after 30 years in prison
LOS ANGELES, Aug 19, (AP): The Menendez brothers are set to make their cases for parole starting Thursday, marking the closest they've been to winning freedom from prison since their convictions almost 30 years ago for murdering their parents. Erik and Lyle Menendez were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison for fatally shooting their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989. They were 18 and 21 at the time. While defense attorneys argued the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, prosecutors said the brothers killed their parents for a multimillion-dollar inheritance. The brothers became eligible for parole after a Los Angeles judge in May reduced their sentences from life in prison without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible for parole under California law because they were under the age of 26 when they committed their crimes. A panel of two or three parole hearing officers from a board of commissioners appointed by the governor will evaluate the brothers individually. Erik Menendez will have his hearing Thursday morning, followed by Lyle Menendez on Friday, over videoconference from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. The board will assess whether the brothers pose an "unreasonable risk of danger to society' if released, considering factors like criminal history, motivation for the crime, and signs of remorse, behavior while in prison, and plans for the future, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Even if the board grants their parole, it could still be months before the brothers walk free - if at all. If the board grants each brother's parole, the chief legal counsel has 120 days to review the case. Then, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has 30 days to affirm or deny the parole. Only then, if Newsom affirms the parole, would the Menendez brothers be able to leave prison. Newsom had previously ordered the state parole board to conduct a risk assessment of the brothers in response to a clemency request. At the time, he emphasized that the key question was whether the brothers posed an "unreasonable risk to public safety.' He noted at a May news conference that he has both approved and rejected decisions by the parole board before and that he was the "ultimate arbiter.' The brothers' lawyer, Mark Geragos, sought release last month for Erik Menendez after he was hospitalized for a "serious medical condition.' He has since returned to prison. The case has captured the attention of true crime enthusiasts for decades and spawned documentaries, television specials, and dramatizations. The Netflix drama " Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story " and the documentary "The Menendez Brothers," both released in 2024, have been credited for bringing new attention to the brothers. In the last year, weigh-in from celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and a greater recognition of the brothers as victims of sexual abuse has helped amass a legion of supporters who have called for their release. Some have flown to Los Angeles over the past few months, holding rallies and attending court hearings as the brothers' attorneys pushed for their resentencing. The previous LA County district attorney, George Gascón, first opened the door to possible freedom for the brothers last fall by asking a judge to reduce their sentences. Since their conviction, the brothers have gotten an education, participated in self-help classes, and started various support groups for fellow people in prison, his office said in a petition. The judge's decision to ultimately resentence the brothers followed months of pushback from current prosecutors, who argued the brothers hadn't taken adequate responsibility for their crimes. The Menendez brothers still have a pending habeas corpus petition filed in May 2023 seeking a review of their convictions based on new evidence supporting their claims of sexual abuse by their father. Last month, a different judge ordered Los Angeles prosecutors to explain why their case shouldn't be reexamined. The state corrections department has selected one media representative to view the proceedings virtually and share notes with the rest of the press at set intervals.
Arab Times
a day ago
- Arab Times
Trump begins planning for Putin-Zelenskyy meeting
WASHINGTON, Aug 19, (AP): US President Donald Trump said Monday he's begun arrangements for a face-to-face meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss a pathway to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while affirming that the US would back European security guarantees aimed at preventing Moscow from reinvading its neighbor once the current conflict ends. Details of the security guarantees and Trump's efforts to arrange peace talks were still evolving as an extended meeting among Trump, Zelenskyy and other European leaders wrapped up at the White House. But as they emerged from their talks, the leaders expressed guarded optimism that Trump could be finding momentum in his quest to fulfill his campaign promise of ending the grinding war. The "most important' outcome of the meeting was the "US commitment to work with us on providing security guarantees,' French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters. Trump said he would forge ahead with arrangements for a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin. He spoke by phone with Putin during Monday's talks with Zelenskyy and the leaders of Britain, Finland, France, Germany and Italy as well as the president of the European Commission and head of NATO. The developments come amid a significant measure of trepidation on the continent that Trump is pressing Ukraine to make concessions that will only further embolden Putin after the US leader hosted the Russian president for an Alaska summit last week. "I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy,' Trump said in a social media post. "After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself. Again, this was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years.' It was not clear if Putin has fully signed on to such talks. Russia state news agency Tass cited Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov saying Putin and Trump "spoke in favor' of continuing direct talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations. Ushakov said they also discussed "the idea of raising the level of the direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations.' Zelenskyy told reporters following the White House meeting that if Russia does "not demonstrate a will to meet, then we will ask the United States to act accordingly.'
Arab Times
a day ago
- Arab Times
India's Modi to meet China's top diplomat as Asian powers rebuild ties
NEW DELHI, Aug 19, (AP): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet with China's top diplomat on Tuesday in a sign of easing tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors after a yearslong standoff between the Asian powers. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who arrived in India on Monday, is scheduled to hold talks with Modi and other leaders about the disputed border in the Himalayan mountains. Reducing the number of troops on the border and possibly resuming trade in the contested region are expected to be on the agenda. The rebuilding of ties coincides with friction between New Delhi and Washington after US President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on India, a longtime ally seen as a counterbalance against China's influence in Asia. India is part of the Quad security alliance with the US, along with Australia and Japan. India and China's decades-old border dispute worsened in 2020 after a deadly clash between their troops in the Ladakh region. The chill in relations affected trade, diplomacy and air travel as both sides deployed tens of thousands of security forces in border areas. Some progress has been made since then. Last year, India and China agreed to a pact on border patrols and withdrew additional forces along some border areas. Both countries continue to fortify their border by building roads and rail networks. In recent months, the countries have increased official visits and discussed easing some trade restrictions, movement of citizens and visas for businesspeople. In June, Beijing allowed pilgrims from India to visit holy sites in Tibet. Both sides are working to restore direct flights. Last week, the spokesman for India's foreign ministry, Randhir Jaiswal, said India and China were in discussions to restart trade through three points along their 3,488-kilometer (2,167-mile) border. Manoj Joshi, a fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank, said relations are still at an uneasy level of normalization. "Settling the boundary issue between the two countries requires political compromise at the highest political level,' said Joshi, who also served as a member of the advisory board for India's National Security Council. He asserted that the countries are "still talking past each other when it comes to the border dispute and issues surrounding it." Ahead of his meeting with Modi, Wang met India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and discussed the way forward to bolster the relationship. "The setbacks we experienced in the past few years were not in the interest of the people of our two countries. We are heartened to see the stability that is now restored in the borders,' Wang said.
