We Never Gave Up: Stories of Courage in Gambia

Gambia’s decades during President Yahya Jammeh’s regime were a story of serious human rights violations. During the 22 years (1994-2016) that Jammeh was in power the space for expression of dissent was severely limited. President Jammeh’s regime included forced disappearances, torture, restrictions on freedom of expression, arbitrary arrests and detention. Human rights defenders were one of the main targets of the human rights violations committed by Jammeh’s regime. This age-old story of targeting of human rights defenders, through arbitrary arrests and detention and threats, left civil society organizations reluctant to focus on or speak out publicly about sensitive human rights issues. The human rights defenders, both men and women, who decided to take a stand for human rights during the Jammeh era describe their fears, their frustrations and their motivations. This is the story of courage and resistance and brave people who firmly believe in human rights and are willing to fight and risked their lives for it. (Pan African Film Festival)