The Independent (Banjul)
March 30, 2001
Posted to the web March 30, 2001
Alhagie Mbye
Banjul, The Gambia
Highly placed sources close to both the Department of State for the Interior
and the Central Prisons Department have confirmed to The Independent have
described as appalling the condition of four Gambians who were extradited
from Senegal in 1997 accused of attempting to overthrow the APRC
administration.
Also family members of the detained men, the four including one who was
released were extradited from Senegal since July 31st 1997 and were held
incommunicado for three years until last year when they were allowed to meet
with members of their families. Ansu Wally from Wuli, Ebrahima Waa Drammeh
alias Bamba from Tujereng, Suwanding Camara from Bondali, Abdurahman Baldeh
from Basse and Gibril Jallow, alias Paco from Buiam are said to be held in
"very stressful and inhumane conditions" without being charged in any court.
Concerned family members called on the authorities to charge the accused
persons and try them or release them for the sake of "humanity and justice."
However sources close to both Departments acknowledged that one of the
accused persons, Suwanding Camara, hired a lawyer who challenged the
government on the legality of his continuous detention without legal
backing. After a court battle Mr. Camara was subsequently released and is
now said to be a freeman.
The sources explained that the four detainees who did not contract the
service of a lawyer like their former fellow inmate were allowed only an
hour's rest for a whole day and given poor food rations and "appalling"
toilet facilities.
"They re not always given chance to bathe at times and refrained from eating
food from family members an open empty gallon is all they use as toilet" one
of them claimed.
The accused five who were in Liberia were reportedly arrested in Dakar when
the Gambian authorities convinced former President Abdou Diouf that the five
were urgently wanted in Gambia "for trying to gather arms to overthrow the
Jammeh administration." Despite the accused persons' persistent denial of
the claims, the current Inspector General of Police, Sankung Badjie, and the
former GNA Commander Samsideen Sarr who is currently in exile in the United
States including five paramilitary officers went to Dakar to effect their
extradition to Banjul. Sources claimed that the accused persons were always
"harassed, beaten and tortured" by soldiers and prison officers at Mile II.
It added that late last year, the ICRC were allowed to visit them and
provide them with two blankets each, a two inch mattress.
The sources added that despite numerous complaints by the detainees, an
Interior department top-notch only conduct a visit to the prisons twice a
year but pay no heed to their complains.
Family members of the men also complained that their detained relatives who
were held in Senegal for a year, were detained at Cent Meter Camp (100m
camp) in Dakar Central Prison, where they were reportedly freer and better
looked after. They were provided with proper food from friends and family
members and allowed to rest from 8 am to 5 pm outside the prisons a family
member of one of the detained men said. They noted that in Senegal the coup
suspects were also allowed to listen to news and read newspapers, drink
'ataya' and smoke cigarette. "But in The Gambia any officer, who brings a
copy of a newspaper, magazine or a radio set or offer them cigarettes are
sacked with immediate effect" they noted.
Family members who said they were shaken by the experience called on the
international community and human right concerns, such as Amnesty
International, the donor community and The Gambia Bar Association to
intervene so that the suspects are either released or charged.
When contacted, a senior official at the Interior Department who refused to
be named confirmed the continuing detention of the four men. "I have just
been reading it in the papers. It is true that they are being held there but
don't ever quote me in your newspaper" he said.
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Copyright © 2001 The Independent. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media
(allAfrica.com).
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