Alhaji Yankuba Colley who is also the mayor of the populous Kanifing municipality, instead said that homosexuality is such a grave crime against nature that “homosexuals should be killed”.
The Gambia National Assembly passed a bill on August 25 to introduce the crime of aggravated homosexuality into the criminal code and make it punishable by life imprisonment in some cases. The bill defines aggravated homosexuality as cases such as a person having homosexual relations with someone under the age of 18, or a person with HIV having homosexual relations. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other international rights organisations have petitioned President Jammeh not to sign the bill into law.
In an interview with The Standard yesterday, Mr Colley postulated: “This country is blessed and is religious. Most of the citizens are either Muslim or a Christian who will not accept homosexuality. Homosexuality will never be allowed in this country. In fact, it is not an issue we should discuss because President Jammeh and Gambians will not allow it to happen. The pro-homosexuality campaigners want us to allow a man to [sleep with a man] and that will never happen in this country. In fact homosexuals should be killed because they are enemies of humanity.”
Making further comments rights activists would consider incendiary, the Tallinding politician said: “I am sure the National Assembly will support and vote hundred percent any move to remove homosexuality from this country. The question I would like to ask these people [gay rights activists] is how were they born? If homosexuality was allowed to spread in the world, they would not have been born. They want people to stop having children and effectively put an end to procreation because a marriage of two men cannot produce a baby. Homosexuality is a crime against humanity which Gambians will never accept.”
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