“The United States is deeply concerned by continued reports of human rights abuses in The Gambia,” said Bernadette Meehan, National Security Council spokeswoman.
“Since October, the government of The Gambia has denied access to UN Special Rapporteurs investigating reports of torture and extrajudicial execution,” Meehan said in a statement.
Meehan also noted that The Gambia has arrested people over their sexual orientation and enacted a law that imposes up to life imprisonment for the “so-called crime of ‘aggravated homosexuality’”.
Homosexuality is prohibited in The Gambia despite calls from the international community.
The Gambia enacted a law in October creating the crime of “aggravated homosexuality”, which international bodies are concerned targets people with HIV or those who are openly homosexual.
In a rare instance, the state broadcaster over the weekend, relayed the text of the harshly-worded US government censure of The Gambia.
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