In an emotional letter to the President of Senegal Macky Sall, Tabara Samb’s son has demanded the intervention of the Senegalese President to pressure the Gambian authorities to return the remains of his mother. Pap Amadou Seck whose mother was executed among nine death Row inmates in Gambia in August 2012, described conditions of his mother’s last days as “destitute and seclusive” He said the family were denied access to their Ms Samb and were never notified of her execution. Below we reproduced in a Google translation the letter Pape wrote to Macky Sall on the second Anniversary of the killings:
Pape Amadou Seck
Eldest son of the late Tabara Samb
Spokesman for the family of Tabara Samba
His Excellency, Mr. Macky Sall President of the Republic of Senegal
Dakar, 23 August 2014
Subject: Request for intervention for the return of the remains of the late Tabara Samb
Mr. President,
Hereby, I would like to take you to seek your intervention with the Gambian authorities for the return of the remains of my mother Mrs. Tabara Samb.
As you know, my mother Tabara Samb was arrested, tried, convicted of murder and was sentenced to death on 26 September 2007. It was conducted August 23, 2012 with 8 others sentenced to death. Before her execution, no family member has had the opportunity to see her regularly. She was left so destitute and in total seclusion, far away from her loved ones.
To date, neither the body of my mother, or, as far as I know, other bodies of those executed at the same time, have been returned to their families and burial sites were kept secrets.
We have repeatedly, with the support of organizations defending human rights and ARTICLE 19, RADDHO and AMNESTY International, sought the return of the remains of my mother; without success.
Gambian authorities remain completely sealed for us and so far we do not know what other steps to take.
The hope of our family depends now on you. We appeal to you in order to seek the remains of our mother, who was also Senegalese citizen be restored to his country, Senegal, and his family. It is a prerequisite for us to mourn and move on from this extremely painful episode in our family history.
His Excellency, the President of the Republic, if the idea is acceptable to you for having us, we could explain to you all we know about this case in order to allow you to capture the best all items. Please accept, His Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.
Pape Amadou Seck