The president’s pardoning of inmates, including convicted rapists and a murderer, will be the subject of an inquiry by the National Human Rights Commission, which will question the justice and interior ministries.
On Friday, President Adama Barrow exercised his authority to pardon 37 inmates from the nation’s prison system. On the list include people convicted of rape as well as Dr. Bamba Banja, the former permanent secretary who was serving a two-year sentence for corruption. Since the news leaked, several complaints have been made.
In response to our request for clarity, National Human Rights Commission Chairman Emmanuel D. Joof spoke with The Standard yesterday and stated that neither the commission nor anybody else was involved in the process for the pardons.
He stated that given the pardons involve cases of significant offenses, the NHRC is “extremely concerned” about them.
In an effort to ascertain the reasoning behind the recommendations for the pardon of the five rapists and the convicted murderer, we are writing to the Ministries of Justice and Interior, who are both members of that committee. We’re worried. We are dealing with cases of really serious offenses, thus we would like to know what criteria were applied. People who have been found guilty of extremely heinous crimes that involve violations of human rights, such rape and murder, are typically not eligible for pardons. Since many people who commit crimes like rape and murder are occasionally repeat offenders, even before you grant someone a pardon, there is typically a supervision order in place to guarantee that they are watched over even after they are freed. They will therefore need to get in touch with social services like the office of the IGP and the director of social welfare, even if they decide to move. Have all of these tasks been completed? Joof Chairman questioned.
International human rights attorney Joof continued, saying, “We at the Human Rights Commission are concerned that people may turn to mob justice. Everyone talks about the increase in criminal cases these days, particularly those involving homicide and gender-based violence. If you release people in such a way without following the right procedures, you are sending the wrong signals. We desire that everyone follow the law. Individuals may turn to mob justice if they believe there will be no justice or if the legal system is ineffective.
In addition to seeking clarification, he said, the commission will advise the government and supply it with standards that other common law jurisdictions employ when recommending pardons to the president.
Chairman Joof responded, “The commission’s involvement in the committee will give it a human rights dimension,” when asked if the commission would suggest its inclusion in the committee charged with proposing who should be pardoned.
He continued by saying that because the National Assembly’s standing committee on human rights has the same mandate to investigate, the commission is also bringing up the matter with them.