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[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 456 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 456

  Expressing support for a free, fair, and peaceful December 4, 2021, 
                        election in The Gambia.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 18, 2021

 Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Coons, Mr. Rounds, 
Mr. Boozman, and Mr. Cardin) submitted the following resolution; which 
           was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
  Expressing support for a free, fair, and peaceful December 4, 2021, 
                        election in The Gambia.

Whereas, in 1965, The Gambia became independent from Great Britain;
Whereas, in 1970, The Gambia became a republic following a public referendum, 
        and Dawda Jawara was elected president and subsequently reelected an 
        additional five times;
Whereas, from 1970 to 1994, The Gambia was one of Africa's longest running 
        democracies and home to the continent's human rights body, the African 
        Commission on Human and People's Rights;
Whereas, in 1994, President Jawara was forcibly removed from office in a coup by 
        the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC), led by Lieutenant 
        Yahya Jammeh;
Whereas, after two years of direct AFPRC rule that was heavily criticized by the 
        international community, a flawed constitutional reform process occurred 
        and The Gambia scheduled a new presidential election;
Whereas, in the lead up to the September 1996 presidential election, the Jammeh 
        military government outlawed the country's main opposition parties, 
        restricted media freedom, prohibited meetings between rival candidates 
        and foreign diplomats, and used soldiers to attack opposition rallies;
Whereas Jammeh won the 1996 presidential election in a process widely regarded 
        as flawed by international observers;
Whereas President Jammeh won reelection in 2001, 2006, and 2011 in electoral 
        processes marred by political repression, intimidation, and technical 
        flaws;
Whereas Jammeh's presidency saw targeted violence and widespread gross human 
        rights violations, particularly against members of the media, including 
        the murder of editor Deyda Hydara and the disappearance of journalist 
        Ebrima Manneh;
Whereas President Jammeh personally ordered the kidnapping and torture of 
        individuals he accused of ``witchcraft'' and threatened others over 
        their sexual orientation;
Whereas thousands of Gambians fled into exile out of concern for their safety, 
        becoming refugees in Africa at large and elsewhere;
Whereas the Jammeh government's human rights record was widely criticized by 
        regional and international human rights groups, as well as the United 
        States, European Union, and members of the United States Senate;
Whereas, in December 2016, opposition grand coalition candidate Adama Barrow, 
        who campaigned on the promise of electoral and constitutional reform, 
        won an upset election victory against President Jammeh;
Whereas, immediately after the 2016 election, Jammeh publicly accepted the 
        defeat, but then later rejected the results and refused to depart the 
        presidency;
Whereas Jammeh's refusal to accept defeat was widely condemned, with the African 
        Union refusing to recognize him as president and the Economic Community 
        of West African States deploying an international intervention force to 
        The Gambia;
Whereas, on January 19, 2017, Barrow was sworn in as president at the Gambian 
        Embassy in Senegal;
Whereas, on January 20, 2017, Jammeh and his family departed The Gambia, 
        reportedly stealing more than $1,000,000,000 from state coffers, 
        eventually to appear in Equatorial Guinea, where he remains in political 
        exile with impunity;
Whereas President Barrow initially agreed to limit his term to a three-year 
        transition ending on January 19, 2020, but later stated his intent to 
        serve the full five-year constitutional term;
Whereas the Gambian Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC) was 
        established by an act of the Gambian Parliament to examine abuses 
        committed during the Jammeh era and make recommendations as to whom to 
        hold accountable;
Whereas more than 370 victims and former government officials testified at 
        widely viewed TRRC hearings that documented widespread human rights 
        abuses;
Whereas the TRRC's anticipated September 2021 final report submission to 
        President Barrow was delayed; and
Whereas The Gambia will hold the first post-Jammeh era presidential election on 
        December 4, 2021, which will include six presidential candidates: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) congratulates the Gambian people on the successful 2016 
        presidential election;
            (2) supports the courageous and necessary work of the 
        Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission to bring 
        accountability, healing, and reconciliation to the nation;
            (3) calls on all parties and presidential candidates to 
        participate in a free, fair, credible, and peaceful December 4, 
        2021, presidential election in The Gambia; and
            (4) expresses the support of the American people in The 
        Gambia's continued and noteworthy democratic path forward.
                                 <all>
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