Press release
The Human Rights Advancement, Development and Advocacy Centre, (HURIDAC) in collaboration with Network for Human Rights Journalists has been working and observing The Gambia 2021 Presidential Election Report and publish the report of its research and observation on the 31st March 2021.
The joint report on the Gambia 2021 Presidential election present the situational and context analysis of the election. This report took into account The 2021 Gambia electoral context as well as its historical, sociological, political backgrounds to present a holistic perspective. To develop a human rights perspective, the report creates a critical link between elections and the right to vote, the role of the media among other relevant themes.
According to Mr Ayodele Ameen, the Executive Director of HURIDAC, “The significant link between human rights and election cannot be Ignored and the important of rights of the Gambian to vote in sustaining democracy needs critical evaluation which the report achieved”
The report also explores the role of political stakeholders and its impact on the outcome of the presidential election, not negleting the level playing ground experience in the Gambia for the first time in its long political history.
Mr Musa Sheriff, the Coordinator of Network Human Rights Journalists (NHRJ) said “ The report deepened the understanding of the Gambia political history , party idiosycracies and well as the roles of other stakeholders , including the the journalists in the Gambia political landscape”
The report further documents the freeness and fairness of the election in the pre, during and post elections phases with attempt to document human rights violations and abuses in each phases.
Ayodele Ameen further added that “apart from the post election period, no record of human rights violations and abuses were reported or documented during the day of the election, but cases of violations of feedom of expression relating to journalists were recorded in the post election phase”.
The report onjectives include working with states to improves the electoral lanscape in the Gambia that protect and promtes the human rights of the people.
“The report includes specific recommendations for various stakeholders , including investgating the allledged claims of the opposition party to prevent any future occurrence,” said Musa Sheriff.
