Amnesty wants policemen prosecuted for student deaths

Amnesty International (AI) has urged the Gambian government to prosecute policemen found responsible for the death of 12 persons during clashes between security forces and students in April 2000. The dead included a Red Cross volunteer and six children. A public outcry led the government to set up a commission of inquiry, which submitted its report in September. The commission held security officers and student leaders responsible for the deaths and recommended their prosecution. However, the government has not acted on the recommendation, claiming that it would not be in the interest of national reconciliation, AI said. “The government must take seriously all the Commission’s findings and proceed with its recommendations”, AI said. It added that if their acts went unpunished, security forces might feel they were above the law and perpetrate other violations.