There is no need to waste time figuring out What killed Ebrima Barry. We all
know that he was severally beaten to death by Yaya and his executioners. We
also know that all the authorities involve in this case, including the
coroner, the judge and prosecutors are terrorized and tamed by Yaya and his
murderers.  It is sad, but we will unjustly loose this case.

The question is how do we eliminate Yaya Jammeh, so that there will be no
more death Gambians.  So far there is optimism in our efforts, but as we all
know, it's not enough.

Ramatoulie: gambian.com's anchor


>From: Dampha Kebba <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: BARRY'S DEATH WAS CAUSED BY A CHRONIC DISEASE
>Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2000 11:23:57 EDT
>
>Please see the following report from the Independent. I cannot believe
>this.
>Please let someone tell me that this is not about to happen. The
>authorities
>are not about to cover this case up. They murdered poor Ebrima Barry and
>now
>some corrupt doctors are trying to cook up some fishy cause of death. I
>hope
>the Cuban doctors that participated in the autopsy will also be called to
>testify under rigorous examination. This is pathetic. Where is this Dr. Sam
>character from? I am not a doctor but I would have thought that if Ebrima
>Barry had such a chronic illness, serious enough to cause his death, the
>symptoms of the illness would have manifested itself to his family and
>friends. I hope the journalists made a mistake in their reporting because I
>just cannot figure out how someone can call himself a doctor and then make
>such ridiculous medical conclusions. This is outrageous and I must say that
>the government is toying with another demonstration. Their bogus commission
>of inquiry report should teach them that the April 10 and 11 incidents
>occurred because the Gambian public was denied justice in the Ebrima Barry
>case. They are trying very hard to repeat the same mistake. Commonsense
>tells us that Ebrima Barry was murdered by those firemen. So why are the
>authorities going to such lengths to try and ensure that the firemen go
>unpunished for their crimes? I hope the prosecutor in this case
>(hand-picked
>by Secka) counters Dr. Sam's dubious testimony with expert testimony
>showing
>that Ebrima Barry's death could not have been caused by what Dr. Sam and
>those Cuban doctors are saying. The prosecutor should do some research on
>the symptoms of chronic hepatitis and check whether Ebrima Barry suffered
>from such symptoms prior to his murder. This is insane. Surely the beating
>and the torture Ebrima Barry sustained had something to do with his death.
>Even if Barry had an existing illness, that does not absolve his attackers
>from culpability. Even novice lawyers (let alone judges) are aware of the
>legal maxim that 'you should take your victim as you find him'. Meaning,
>even if Barry had hepatitis and was killed by a blow which would not kill a
>person that does not suffer from such ailment, his attackers would still be
>guilty of murder. What these slimy characters are trying to do is to
>neutralize that maxim and declare hepatitis as the sole cause of death, as
>opposed to a catalyst. For starters, prosecutors have to challenge the
>conclusion of Dr. Sam that Barry suffered from chronic hepatitis. If Sam
>turn out to be right, the prosecutor should surely be able to prove that
>hepatitis was not the sole cause of death. The blows Barry sustained as the
>result of the torture, was the cause of death. Albeit, hepatitis might have
>played a role. This is simply unbelievable. Especially if you take into
>consideration the fact the Sam was probably a prosecution witness. You have
>government officials coming in to sabotage the government's (the people's)
>case. Only in Gambia.
>KB
>_______________________________________________________________________
>
>BARRY'S DEATH WAS CAUSED BY A CHRONIC DISEASE
>- says chief pathologist
>
>The chief pathologist at the Royal Victoria Hospital Dr. Thomas Sam has
>told
>the High Court that the late Ebrima Barry's death was caused by a chronic
>hepatitis of about six months old.
>
>Dr. Sam was giving evidence on the post mortem report made on Ebrima Barry
>after his death in March 2000 by Dr. Raphael of the Cuban medical team. Dr.
>Sam said that when he returned from a trip to South Africa, a report was
>passed on to him, which he said was made in two stages, the preliminary and
>the final.
>
>He said the preliminary stage was based on what was observed by the naked
>eye while the final was based on a microscopic study carried out by two
>Cuban doctors and himself as the head of the unit. Dr. Sam further told the
>court that the report showed excessive bleeding from the liver which he
>said
>led to a blockage of the blood flow in the lungs. He said it was due to the
>blockage of the blood flow which led to Barry's death, which he said is
>normally caused by serious chronic diseases. He however expressed surprise
>that Ebrima Barry was able to be walking about with such a disease.
>
>Ebrima Barry died on March 9, 2000 while he was student at Forster's
>Technical School in Brikama. He was said to have had some problems with his
>teacher who allegedly reported the matter to the Fire Brigade office in
>Brikama where some firemen allegedly subjected him to some beating and
>torture, which allegedly resulted in his death.
>
>His death was one of the reasons that led to a confrontation between the
>Gambia Students Union (GAMSU) and the authorities calumniating in the
>bloody
>student disturbances of April 10th and 11th 2000 leading to the death of
>more than 14 school children and the maiming of several more as well as
>heavy destruction to property.
>
>The case was presided over Justice T.A Kabalata while the state was
>represented by an independent prosecutor Nosa Avan and the fire officers
>accused of Ebrima Barry's murder were represented by Lamin Jobarteh, a
>private legal practitioner. The case was adjourned to September 28.
>
>
>
>
>
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