UK Sanctions Yahya Jammeh, his wife Zeinab and Yankuba Badjie over rights violations

 

The United Kingdom has, this Thursday, announced that Gambia former President Yahya Jammeh, his wife Zeinab Jammeh and former National Intelligence Agency (NIA) director ,Yankuba Badjie, are banned from entering the UK and their assets in the kingdom frozen as part of a new tranche of sanctions under UK’s Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime.
The sanctions, announced on International Human Rights Day, are said to be part of the UK’s global human rights regime which gives the UK powers to stop the likes of Yahya Jammeh, involved in serious human rights abuses and violations from entering the country, channeling money through UK banks, or profiting from the kingdom’s economy.

The former President of The Gambia, Yahya Jammeh is placed in the category of sanctions for “Historic human rights violations including extrajudicial killings of protestors and minority groups“. A punishment he shares with Ahmad Anwar Khan, a former Senior Superintendent of Police in Malir District, Pakistan.
Other Gambian nationals sanctioned by the United Kingdom include Yankuba Badjie, former Director General of the Gambian National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and Zineb Jammeh, former First Lady of The Gambia and wife of Yahya Jammeh.
UK is acting alongside the US who also announced new designations under their human rights regime. The newly announced sanctions on Yahya Jammeh and his wife target a total number of 11 individuals and one entity from The Gambia, Russia, Venezuela and Pakistan. All are accused by the United Kingdom to have been involved in “egregious human rights violations, including torture and murder“.
Announcing the sanctions, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said “Today’s sanctions send a clear message to human rights violators that the UK will hold them to account. The UK and our allies are shining a light on the severe and systematic human rights violations perpetrated by those sanctioned today. Global Britain will stand up for democracy, human rights and the rule of law as a force for good in the world“.
Dominic Raab said through these sanctions, UK showcases its position as a global force for good and the kingdom’s commitment to the rules-based international system and to standing up for victims of human rights violations and abuses around the world.