HL Deb 12 December 1995 vol 567 c103WA
Lord Avebury

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What information they have received about alleged extrajudicial killings of armed forces personnel in The Gambia on 11 and 12 November 1995 of the former Minister of Finance Mr. Koro Ceesay, and of the former Minister of the Interior, Captain Sadibu Hydara; and whether the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, established by the Millbrook Declaration of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Auckland in November 1995 to deal with serious or persistent violations of the principles of the Harare Declaration, will investigate these killings.

Baroness Chalker of Wallasey:

We have received reports that Captain Hydara died in detention from hypertension and liver failure. Mr. Ceesay's body was discovered in a burnt out car. The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group has not yet met but it has been tasked to assess infringements of Harare Declaration principles and recommend measures for collective Commonwealth action.