Transitional Justice in Gambia after dictatorship – from truth seeking to justice
Each year, the Bar Council’s international team organises the ‘International Rule of Law Lecture.’ The event aims to encourage awareness of the importance of the rule of law to all, particularly those in legal practice, stimulate debate and inspire lawyers, academics, judges and students to support the rule of law in their work.
Transitional Justice in Gambia after dictatorship – from truth seeking to justice
Keynote address by Salieu Taal, President of the Bar Association of The Gambia
Watch the lecture
About Salieu Taal
Salieu Taal is a barrister at Law of the Inner Temple and enrolled as a Legal Practitioner in The Gambia. He is the initiator and one of the co-founders of #GambiaHasDecided, a social movement which played a catalytic role in ousting a 22 year old dictatorship in The Gambia. He is a passionate fighter and promoter of Human Rights, Constitutionalism and Rule of Law in The Gambia.
Salieu is an influential advocate and member of the Civil Society in The Gambia promoting human rights, good governance and the rule of law. As President of The Gambia Association, Salieu has played a pivotal role in repositioning The Gambia Bar Association as a rule of institution actively supporting the restoration of democratic institutions in The Gambia.
Salieu Taal is a passionate advocate who has supported numerous public interest litigation cases in The Gambia in partnership with civil society organisations and activists in The Gambia setting important precedents for Gambia’s nascent democracy. Salieu was part of the legal team that filed the first Amicus Curiae Brief before the Supreme Court of the Gambia in a landmark case of the State v Yankuba Touray, a case that addressed and defined the limits of constitutional immunity of the junta members who committed criminal offences whilst in office.
As President of the Bar, Mr Taal has been actively involved in transitional justice process of The Gambia. He has convened several consultative meetings of local and international experts on the options for justice in the Gambia which has helped build a consensus on the appropriate model for prosecuting international crimes committed during the regime of the former Government. He is a leading advocate and proponent for the establishment of a hybrid Court mechanism in The Gambia to try international crimes domestically. Salieu is a member of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association Rule of Law and Human Rights Committee.