[JURIST] UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [official website] on Wednesday expressed [press release] “principled condemnation” of an attempted coup in Gambia earlier this week, urging respect for the rule of law. On Tuesday morning gunfire erupted [BBC report] near the presidential palace in Banjul. Gambia President Yahya Jammeh returned to the country on Wednesday, and officials say the situation is now calm and deny [Reuters report] there is any instability in the country. Four people died during the conflict, including Lamin Sanneh, the alleged leader of the coup and former commander of the presidential guard, and four others were injured. The Secretary-General is urging all parties to refrain from violence and said the UN will closely monitor the situation. Ban also encouraged “the establishment of a transparent investigation into the events of 30 December, in compliance with due process and respect for the rule of law.”

In recent weeks the UN has also criticized The Gambia for anti-gay legislation and blocking an investigation. In December UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein [official profile] criticized The Gambia for its passage and enforcement of legislation criminalizing homosexual acts after Jammeh signed into law a bill [JURIST reports] imposing life imprisonment for some homosexual acts. In November the UN reported that special rapporteurs Christof Heyns and Juan Mendez were blocked [JURIST report] from completing a torture and killing investigation in Gambia. The UN experts were investigating the practice of the right to life laws of Gambia and cruel and unusual punishment by authorities, but were denied access to certain prison areas and the investigation was suspended.