One Year After April 10, Amnesty Country Report Indicts Security Forces



The Independent (Banjul)

June 22, 2001
Posted to the web June 22, 2001

Banjul, the Gambia

Amnesty International's annual country report for 2001 on The Gambia has
accused the security forces of torture and ill treatment of students during
the April 2000 student demonstrations. The report states that at least 14
people were killed and dozens injured when the security forces used
"excessive and indiscriminate force to break up demonstrations" organized by
the Gambia Students Union to protest the alleged torture to death of a
schoolboy and the rape of a school girl allegedly by members of the security
forces. It went on to state that several of the dead were less than 18 years
old.

"Neither the findings of a commission of inquiry subsequently set up by the
government nor those of the inquiry carried out by the coroner were made
public by the end of 2000," the report states. It adds that the chairman of
the commission of inquiry was reported to have publicly acknowledged that
some members of the security forces were found to be largely responsible for
the deaths of the students.

The report goes on to state that many of the students arrested during and
after the demonstrations were tortured and ill treated by the security
forces, "including the National Intelligence Agency", while they were in
custody. It also refers to the arrest of the Secretary General of the
opposition United Democratic Party Ousainou Darboe and several other UDP
members in Basse in June and their subsequent charge with the murder of an
APRC supporter. It states that the arrest followed an alleged ambush of a
UDP convoy by members of "a pro-government militia".

"It appears that this prosecution was intended to silence the UDP and
prevent Ousainou Darboe from standing in the presidential elections in 2001,
as no credible evidence was reported to have emerged against the five," the
report states. The report also refers to the arrest and continuous detention
in January and June of some civilians and members of the military on
suspicion of plotting a coup, who it states were all later held
incommunicado for long periods without being charged. It mentions in
particular the arrest and detention of Lieutenant Landing Sanneh on
suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government, and how he was held
incommunicado for several months before he was charged for treason. "It
appeared that at least one of his confessions was obtained after a death
threat," the report states.

The report also mentions the cases of Momodou Ousman Saho (Dumo), Lieutenant
Lalo Jaiteh, Lieutenant Omar Darboe, Ebrima Barrow, Momodou Marena and
Ebrima Yarbo, who it states were all arrested in June 2000 and held
incommunicado for more than four months. For at least three weeks after
their arrest, the report states that the authorities denied to their
families that they were being detained. "At the end of 2000, the six were
being held at Mile II Prisons, where detention conditions were reportedly
harsh," it indicates.

The report concludes by referring to the continued arbitrary detention and
threats of violence against journalists by the security forces. While it
states that Decree 70/71, which unduly restricted freedom of expression
remained in force. It gave as an example the arrest and brief detention in
July last year of Baba Galleh Jallow and Alhagie Mbye of The Independent for
the publication of a prison hunger strike, which supposedly took place at
Mile Two Prisons.


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