By Yero Jallow
In a peaceful rally for electoral reform on April 14th 2016, Solo Sandeng was tortured to death by the state mercenaries and scores of his co-protesters severely wounded. On April 16th 2016, the UDP Executive under the leadership of its then Secretary General and Party Leader, Ousainou Darboe, protested peacefully over the death of Solo Sandeng and inhumane torture of Solo’s co-protesters. The UDP Executive too met their ugly fate of arrest, cooked up criminal charges (unlawful assembly, riot, incitement of violence, interfering with traffic, procession without license, and disobeying order to disperse), and subsequently sentenced to 3 years alongside dozen other peaceful protesters, by Nigerian born mercenary Judge, Justice E. Dada, on July 20th 2016, despite the fact that Gambia’s constitution stipulates the right to assemble.
Under Gambia’s prison conditions, sentenced person(s) are given a probationary timeframe where they are not allowed access to family. This is known to be within the first 90 days. Going by the sentencing handed on July 20th 2016, it is way past the 90 days probationary time frame. These citizens are neither violent nor a risk. If that is the case, why is Jammeh and the Mile Two Prison Director, denying the UDP Executive access to their family members? A concerned family member, son to one of the UDP Executive Members, Karim Dibba, reached out to Gainako to express his concerns over the fate of his father (Lamin Dibba), the rest of the UDP Executive, and electoral reform protesters. Karim questions the prison policies and why the policies are not being followed by the Gambian authorities. “I am looking for information regarding the Gambia’s Prison Policy and/or mandate specifically visitation policies and what prisoners are entitled to,” Karim enquired. All efforts by family members to reach their loved ones proved unsuccessful at this point.
Our reporter engaged in a spree of questioning to find out the answer. One source described it as “fruitless exercise” to try to engage a lawless State like the Gambia, as the only one who decides is none other than Jammeh, who certainly have an interest in keeping the UDP Executive for reasons best known to him. Another commentator noted that even though the prisons have such ugly traditions, the UDP Executive and the peaceful protesters are law-abiding citizens whose rights continue to be violated; that they shouldn’t have been there in the first place.
Jammeh is again being handed the red card on his lack of adherence to the rule of law. Apart from the fact that these citizens are prisoners of conscience by all standards of measurement under the law, further denying them access to family, is not only inhumane, but a violation of the highest order, and it is criminal. In a related matter, other Gambian Human Right activists vowed to take on Jammeh on this one by doing petitions, taking to social media, exposing Jammeh’s cupboard skeletal nibs, and to alert both the regional and international community. Jammeh’s criminal administration already in the black books of the regional and international community, continues to put itself on the radar of criminality; a dangerous threading path to quickly lead to their terminal end.
Stay tuned on the next update on this story …