Yahya Jammeh

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His ExcellencyYahya Jammeh
President of the Gambia
Incumbent
Assumed office  22 July 1994
Vice President	Isatou Njie Saidy
Preceded by	Dawda Jawara
Born	25 May 1965 (1965-05-25) (age 44) Kanilai, Gambia
Political party	APRC
Spouse	Zineb Jammeh
Children	Mariama and Muhammed

Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh (born May 25, 1965) is the President of The Gambia. As chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council, he took control of the country in a bloodless^[1] military coup in July 1994, and was elected as president two years later, in September 1996.^[2]

Contents 1 Re-elections 2 Attempted coup 3 Foreign relations 4 Press freedom 5 Alleged human rights abuses 6 Stance on homosexuality 7 Health claims 8 Family 9 References 10 External links

[edit] Re-elections

He founded the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction as his political party. Jammeh was re-elected on October 18, 2001 with about 53% of the vote; this election was generally deemed free and fair by observers, despite some shortcomings.^[3]

Jammeh ran for a third term in the presidential election held on September 22, 2006; the election was initially planned for October but was moved forward because of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. He was re-elected with 67.3% of the vote and was declared the winner of the election; opposition candidate Ousainou Darboe finished second, as in 2001.^[4] Darboe rejected the results, saying that the election was not free and fair and that there was widespread intimidation.^[5] Jammeh was sworn in for his third term on December 15.^[6]

[edit] Attempted coup

A coup attempt against Jammeh was reported to have been thwarted on March 21, 2006; Jammeh, who was in Mauritania at the time, quickly returned home. Army chief of staff Col. Ndure Cham, the alleged leader of the plot,^[7] reportedly fled to neighboring Senegal, while other alleged conspirators were arrested^[8] and were put on trial for treason.^[9] In April 2007, ten former officers accused of involvement were convicted and given prison sentences; four of them were sentenced to life in prison.^[10]

[edit] Foreign relations

Jammeh traveled to the United States to meet with Prince George's County, Maryland County Executive Jack Johnson in May 2004. While in the Washington, DC metro area, he delivered the commencement address to the St. Mary's College of Maryland graduating class of 2004. The address highlighted his commitment to education since taking power in The Gambia.

In early December 2006, Jammeh made a three-day visit to Iran, where he met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei; Ahmadinejad said that Iran would provide aid to assist in the development of The Gambia, and he and Jammeh spoke of deepening ties between the two countries.^[11][12]

In December 2007 he traveled to Taiwan with the objective of developing trade relations between the two countries.

In 2008 he received awards for the pursuit of peace from the International Parliament for Safety and Peace in Palermo, Italy.^[13]

[edit] Press freedom

Jammeh has been accused of restricting freedom of the press. Harsh new press laws were followed by the unsolved killing of a reporter who had been critical of them, Deyda Hydara, in December 2004.^[14] Jammeh has denied that security agents were involved in the killing.^[5]

In April 2004 he called on journalists to obey his government "or go to hell". In June 2005 he stated on radio and television that he has allowed "too much expression" in the country.^[15]

A British couple resident in Gambia for 12 years were convicted of sedition for writing emails critical of the president to friends back home^[16].

[edit] Alleged human rights abuses

On April 10 and 11th, 2000, the government was accused of killing of 12 students and a journalist during a 'student demonstration' to protest the death of a student in The Gambia. Jammeh was accused of ordering the shooting of the students, but the government denied the allegations. A government commission of inquiry reportedly concluded that the Police Intervention Unit (PIU) officers were "largely responsible" for many of the deaths and other injuries. The inquiry also revealed that five soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Battalion were responsible for the deaths of two students at Brikama. The government stated that the report implicated several PIU officers in the students' deaths and injuries yet those responsible had still not been brought to book.^[17]

Jammeh has been linked with the 2004 massacre of 44 Ghanaian migrants and 10 other ECOWAS nationals.^[18][19][20]

A online petition has been started in the hopes of the International Criminal Court indicting him for crimes against humanity.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Stance on homosexuality

On May 15, 2008, Jammeh announced that his government would introduce legislation that would set rules against homosexuals that would be “stricter than those in Iran”, and that he would "cut off the head" of any gay or lesbian person discovered in the country. News reports indicated his government intended to have all homosexuals in the country killed. In the speech given in Tallinding, Jammeh gave a "final ultimatum" to any gays or lesbians in The Gambia to leave the country.^[21][22]

[edit] Health claims

In January 2007, Jammeh claimed he could cure HIV/AIDS and asthma with natural herbs. Some patients are said to have improved through his treatment, but he has also been criticized for promoting unscientific treatment that could have dangerous results.^[23]. The full text of his speech seems to suggest that the 'cure' may in fact be addressing intestinal parasites ("With regards to HIV/Aids, they should be kept at a place that has adequate toilets facilities because they can be going to toilet every five minutes.").^[24].

Fadzai Gwaradzimba, the country representative of the United Nations Development Programme in The Gambia, was told to leave the country after she expressed doubts about the claims and said the remedy might encourage risky behaviour.^[25]

In August 2007, Jammeh claimed to have developed a single dose herbal infusion that could treat high blood pressure.^[26]

[edit] Family

Jammeh and his wife Zeinab Jammeh have two children as of 2007: a daughter, Miriam Jammeh, and a son, Muhammed Yahya Jammeh. The latter was born in late 2007, at which point the former was eight years old.^[27]

[edit] References

Political offices
Preceded by Dawda Jawara	President of the Gambia 1994 – present	Incumbent

v • d • e Presidents and Prime Minister of The Gambia Presidents, 1970-: Dawda Jawara • Yahya Jammeh Prime Minister, 1965-1970: Dawda Jawara

[edit] External links

• Jammeh to Hizbullah TV: We Support Iran's Nuclear Program; All Countries Are Entitled to Obtain Nuclear Weapons Until These Are Abolished
• Official website
• Gambia News

Persondata
NAME	Jammeh, Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Jammeh, Yahya Alphonse Jemus Jebulai (former name)
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Gambian president
DATE OF BIRTH	May 25, 1965
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH	living
PLACE OF DEATH