>From: Mohinder Bains <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: Journalist Explains Torture By Security Agents >Date: Mon, 3 Dec 2001 19:45:35 +0000 > >This is a chilling account that qualifies the Gambia as a country >that >abuses human rights. > >It is time that victims of the NIA give back as good as they get. >Unless >sooner people start fighting back, the tortures and intimidation >would >continue. Most of the NIA personnel are cowards. > >It belies believe that they would go to such lengths for some >trivial >information which had in no way endangered the country's security, >as most >of what is in the Independent and West Africa Magazine is in the >public >domain. > >I would welcome information on any NIA Personnel travelling to >Europe in >order to give them their just dues for the atrocities they are >committing >againts innocent civilians. At least if this is the only thing I >could >contribute to awaken the "devil and his cohorts" , I would be very >much >satisfied. > >I hope other G-lers would address this problem as they saw fit and >oblige my >request. > >Peace >Mohin. > > > > > > >>From: Pa Modou Jobe <[log in to unmask]> >>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list >><[log in to unmask]> >>To: [log in to unmask] >>Subject: Journalist Explains Torture By Security Agents >>Date: Mon, 3 Dec 2001 16:20:30 +0000 >> >>Journalist Explains Torture By Security Agents >> >> >>The Independent (Banjul) >> >>Alhagie Mbye, The Independent reporter who has earned the >>distinction as >>among the most harassed journalists in The Gambia today has spoken >>of >>torture and other forms of physical abuse meted on him by the >>National >>Intelligence Agency. >> >>In a chilling personal account of his ordea,l Mr. Mbye who looked >>emaciated >>and drained following eight days of grinding NIA torture by >>electric shock, >>said his interrogators had used subtle methods to intimidate and >>harass him >>for a couple of stories he had written for The Independent >>newspaper and >>West Africa magazine for which is stringer. He said to the last >>minute of >>his detention he had stood beside everything he had written for the >>two >>media houses. We reproduce below Mr. Mbye's narration. >> >>It was on Wednesday evening at around 8.30 pm while I was busy >>preparing to >>have my supper after breaking my fast in my compound at Bakoteh >>Layout when >>three men whom I later identified as NIA personnel approached me >>and told >>me >>that I should immediately report to the NIA headquarters in Banjul. >> >>The NIA personnel who initially informed my neigbours that they >>were >>friends >>of mine who were just paying me a social visit were lead by one >>Demba >>Ceesay, a lab technician now attached to the investigation >>department of >>the >>NIA. Mr. Ceesay, who identified himself as Abdoulie, knocked on my >>compound >>gate and was ushered inside together with his two companions. >> >>Their visit coincided with the arrival of Musa Jobarteh, a >>colleague of >>mine >>at The Independent who arrived and found the three men surrounding >>me. I >>took advantage of the distraction caused by Musa's arrival to enter >>a >>neigbour's room where I made a quick call to Alagi Yorro Jallow, >>the >>managing editor of The Independent newspaper informing him about my >>arrest. >>I also rang my uncle whose mobile phone was engaged at the time. >> >>At this juncture, Ceesay informed me that I should not raise any >>alarm and >>should obey their orders, as I was not going to spend time at the >>NIA >>because, as he claimed, it was just a matter of clarification. >> >>I then followed them to a white 504 Peugeots with registration >>number BLJ >>5012A, and I was told to sit at the back while Demba Ceesay quickly >>drove >>away. To my surprise, he was driving toward the Senegambia Beach >>Hotel >>highway instead of the Banjul route. From there he proceeded >>towards Kerr >>Serign before swerving down a remote area where the three men spoke >>in low, >>sinister wishpers among themselves. >> >>After the quiet murmur among themselves, they changed the direction >>of the >>car and headed towards Bakau to Banjul and finally arrived at the >>NIA >>headquarters where a guard on duty opened the gate for us. >> >>Ceesay then spoke to the security guard who in turn told me to >>handover all >>my belongings I was carrying including my mobile phone, house keys, >>wallet >>containing D500 and a few coins. >> >>The three men then told me to sit and wait in the reception while >>Ceesay >>left for an unknown destination, promising that he will see me >>later. >> >>I spent the night in the NIA reception office and the following >>morning I >>was locked up in a very dark, tiny and windowless cell. I was to >>spend the >>day and night in this room with no food or water till the next day, >>a >>Friday. Indeed I had a sleepless night on the bare floor with >>mosquitoes >>constantly biting me while flying insects continuously flew into my >>nose, >>mouth and ears. >> >>In the morning I was allowed out of the cell to wash my face and by >>10 to >>11am, some security guards escorted me to the investigation office >>where I >>found Mr. Ceesay and OC Tamba. From there I was escorted to another >>office >>where I met four officers who asked me several questions pertaining >>to an >>article I filed for West Africa magazine entitled 'President Jammeh >>reelected' dated October 29 to November 5. >> >>Demba Ceesay and Tijan Bah, other NIA personnel also questioned the >>source >>of an article I wrote for The Independent captioned; 'Two men >>charged with >>insulting President Jammeh', and also the editorial of the same >>Independent >>newspaper issue entitled 'Gambia's lost virginity,' regarding the >>murder of >>Aziz Faal, a Mauritanian national. >> >>I was interrogated from one desk to another but I maintained that >>the >>articles were all in proper perspective, including the editorial. >>The NIA >>personnel also showed me certain sentences they had highlighted >>with a pen >>in the West Africa magazine story for which they demanded an >>explanation. >>In >>reply, I told them that being the correspondent for West Africa >>magazine in >>The Gambia I was responsible for the said article and further >>reminded them >>that all the statements contained in the story were based on press >>releases >>and comments by observers and political commentators from the >>various >>political parties. >> >>During this marathon questioning, the NIA even advised me to return >>to the >>Daily Observer where I used to work if I wanted to have peace of >>mind and >>to >>be in the good books of the authorities. Of course I rejected their >>proposal >>outright. >> >>The NIA officials also informed me that certain western countries >>such as >>the United States, Britain and France are using journalists in the >>private >>media against the government. I responded that no responsible >>citizen will >>allow himself to be used by outsiders and reminded them of all the >>finance, >>economic and health stories I used to file for the benefit of the >>country. >> >>The NIA also claimed that The Independent was always prepared to >>carry >>critical stories against the government but I reminded them that we >>always >>allow divergent views for the interest of everyone. >> >>From there, I was again thrown inside the same cell, without food >>or water, >>until late in the evening when I was given a plate of cooked rice >>apparently >>from a nearby restaurant, which I shared with other detainees >>locked up in >>a >>separate cell. Those detainees included Nigerians, Ghanaians and >>Guineans. >>During the night I was given bread leftovers smeared with butter. >> >>However, I was in terrible pains as my feet had started to swell >>and I had >>no shoes on. I was forced to stand bare-footed on the cold floor >>inside the >>cell. Although I complained, nobody listened to me or came to my >>aid. >> >>The cell was stinking of urine and human waste such that even the >>guards to >>escape the odour refused to even stand at the entrance. I again >>spent a >>painfully sleepless night until Monday morning when I was again >>escorted by >>guards to the investigation office where I found Demba Ceesay and >>Wassa >>Gassama and Babou Njie. I was taken into a photography laboratory >>darkroom >>where Gassama and Njie stripped me naked before forcing me to sit >>on the >>floor. Njie took a rope and tied my hands at the back. I was forced >>to >>stretch my legs on the floor and Njie produced a bunch of wires >>attached to >>a transformer with three buttons on top and a winder. Njie then >>connected >>wires over my left ear, through my head and on my private parts >>while >>Gassama who introduced himself as Mr. Killer, said that they had >>received >>instructions to eliminate me. >> >>The two men then proceeded to operate the machine and my body >>started to >>tremble violently. A terrible heat engulfed me while my head was >>repeatedly >>knocking on the wall. Although I was screaming in terrible pain, >>the two >>men >>were busy laughing with glee and abusing me. This torture seemed to >>have >>continued forever. Next they brought huge steel clippers, which >>they >>attached to my knees and preceded to press it. >> >>According to Gassama, they had been instructed to disable me so >>that I will >>learn a good lesson since they claim it was not my first time at >>the NIA. >>No >>amount of words could explain and drive home the exact agony and >>grisly >>sight of two men unleashing terror on my helpless frame. It was an >>unspeakable experience. >> >>After this ordeal, I was again thrown inside the dark cell where I >>was >>feeling weak and sick from the blood-sucking torture. I was to >>remain in >>the >>cell until later in the afternoon when I was taken out to eat with >>the >>other >>detainees. But I told the NIA personnel that I was not interested >>in any >>food, as I was not feeling well. I told Ceesay that I needed >>medical >>attention. But OC Tamba immediately intervened saying that my >>request was >>not possible unless on condition that I should not speak to anyone. >>I found >>this impossible and was escorted back into the cell. By now, I was >>urinating >>blood and my feet were wobbly weak. >> >>During the night, one of the guards suggested that with my >>condition, it >>was >>unsafe to lock me in an isolated cell. He then carried me to >>another cell >>where other detainees were kept. It was more comfortable there with >>a shaft >>of light from an electric bulb. >> >>However during the following morning when Tamba found me inside the >>cell, >>he >>was angry with Ceesay and ordered that I should be returned to my >>previous >>cell and that I should not even be allowed to talk to anybody. I >>reminded >>the NIA officials that I had been suffering from malaria prior to >>my arrest >>and that I was undergoing treatment, so they should allow me to >>rest. But >>again they refused to listen or help. >> >>I was again thrown inside the cell until the following day, a >>Tuesday. >> >>Without any food, I was escorted by the same men and the same >>grisly >>torture >>continued. On Wednesday, around 11am, I was again escorted out of >>the cell, >>and found Tijan Bah, Demba Ceesay, Njie and Gassama from Tamba's >>office >>talking. Immediately I arrived, Gassama, who asked Njie to go out >>of the >>office, again escorted me inside the dark room where more torture >>was >>carried out on me. Ceesay personally supervised the torture. Again >>while I >>was screaming, they were laughing and abusing me. They asked me to >>reveal >>my >>source of information, threatening that if the public were not >>aware of my >>arrest, I would be killed quietly. During the torture, I fell >>unconscious >>and when I came to, they told me to put on my clothes and asked me >>out of >>the room. I was so weak that I could not even locate the entrance >>and >>Gassama had to show me the way out. Outside I saw, ex-minister >>Dominic >>Mendy, who had earlier offered me D5 to buy bread but the security >>guard >>later returned the money to me saying that there was no food for >>me. >> >>Njie escorted me back to my cell where I remained until the evening >>when a >>particular guard helped me out for a while to drink tea, before he >>escorted >>me to the cell until the following morning Thursday. >> >>Thursday morning, while the cell was opened for me to wash my face, >>I was >>busy begging the guards to allow me to pray, when the security >>guard around >>the gate approached me and said that Foday Barry, the director of >>Internal >>Security, had given orders for my release. This was around 7am and >>I was >>literally thrown outside the NIA premises where I was left lying on >>the >>ground until a friend I know as Momodou who recognised me took me >>to the >>Kololi Clinic. I was thoroughly checked by Doctor Ceesay, who said >>I should >>be admitted immediately or be reporting daily to the clinic. >> >>West Africa Magazine was informed of my release and editor Desmond >>Davis >>called to monitor my condition. I later learnt that Fatoumatta >>Jahumpa >>Ceesay, the director of press and public relations at State House, >>had >>earlier sent an e-mail to West Africa magazine insulting me and >>informing >>them to contact The Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS) >>whenever >>they need stories from The Gambia. Her e-mail was described as >>"unethical >>and unprofessional" and provoked a scabbing response from West >>Africa >>magazine. >> >>However my response to Jahumpa Ceesay's claims against me to West >>Africa >>was >>very precise. I told them that Mrs. Ceesay has no right to insult >>me >>because >>she is just parading herself as a mere sycophant who has some deep >>hatred >>against the private media. I made it known that for her intolerance >>of >>independent journalism she is not qualified to be the Director of >>Press in >>the country. I added that Mrs. Ceesay is a square peg in a round >>hole and >>being an old woman she should learn to respect herself. >> >> >> >> >>_________________________________________________________________ >>Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at >>http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp >> >><>//\\<>//\\<>//\\<>//\\<> >> >>To view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface >>at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html >>To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: >>[log in to unmask] >> >><>//\\<>//\\<>//\\<>//\\<> > > >_________________________________________________________________ >Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at >http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp > ><>//\\<>//\\<>//\\<>//\\<> > >To view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface >at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html >To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: >[log in to unmask] > ><>//\\<>//\\<>//\\<>//\\<>