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Gambia : Opposition Supporters Lingers In Detention
As political detainees continue to languish in jails and detention centers around the country, some of their family members have started to speak out about their dismay and misgivings about the illegal detentions. First, it was some family members of school head teacher Tamba Fofana who, about a month ago contacted The Gambia Journal to express their concern about his continued detention since his arrest in September last year. Mr. Fofana who is a supporter of the main opposition UDP was, together with a number of other pro-UDP detainees, granted bail by a High Court of Banjul in early December last year, but as usual, the detaining authorities have simply ignored the court.
Last Friday, February 9th, two family members of Amadou Corah, also contacted The Gambia Journal on the continued detention of the UDP supporter. Mr. Corah was arrested last month and has still been in detention, now at the Jarreng police station, Family members told the Gambia Journal correspondent in Basse that in early January a worried-sounding Mr. Corah had called some fellow villagers saying that he feared for his life if UDP’s Tumana constituency candidate, Alfusainey Jawara did not withdraw from the polls. The source said that Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, who is UDP leader, is filing a bail application on Mr. Corah’s behalf.
In a similar case, family members of Kanyiba Kanyi, also a UDP supporter, have told reporters that they are still to establish his whereabouts. They also expressed their dismay at his continued detention in spite of a court order for his release since October 2006. Mr. Kanyi was picked up by plain clothes policemen in a taxi on the 18th September 2006 at his home town of Bonto, in the Western Division. Nearly a month later, 17th October, Justice Monageng of the High Court in Banjul ordered for the release of Mr. Kanyi and six other UDP sympathizers. The others include Foday Bah and Ousman Rambo Jatta, a Ward Councilor for the Old Bakau Ward.
Councilor Jatta’s family also recently came out with a strong appeal for his release. The popular Bakau politician and youth leader was picked up on September 23rd, a day after last year’s presidential election. Prior to this Mr. Jatta was facing separate politically motivated charges and was on bail. Members of his Jatta-Kunda family have since been subjected to what is considered by many as political persecution and eight other family members have been charged with various counts of assault and resisting arrest.
According to the people of Jatta Kunda, Rambo’s continuous detention is not only affecting him and the family but also the people who would have benefited from his support. “As at now over 200 children attending nursery schools established by Rambo in Bakau and Brufut have their sponsorship in limbo. Some of the sponsors for these needy children came all the way from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark but had to return with the packages because their trustee who happened to be Rambo was not at hand to administer the sponsorship. All these sponsored students are either orphans or from poor and needy families,” Lamin Chocks Jatta, elder brother of Rambo, told reporters. He added: “Rambo is a good citizen who devotes his time to help,” pointing out that even the Bakau Health Centre, the Immigration officials posted in Bakau and other members of society also benefited from him.
The same also goes for Foday Bah, a UDP supporter who was arrested and detained back in August 2006 for allegedly “abusing President Yahya Jammeh.” Mr. Bah continues to be denied the bail he had granted since October 17th 2006. Ploce Prosecutors say Mr. Bah’s case file has not been returned by the Attorney General’s office so they are not yet able to continue with the case, but they still argue that he should be kept in custody “before investigations are completed.”
Meanwhile, a police prosecutor has sought the remand in custody of the UDP candidate for Bakau constituency in the last legislative elections but his demand could not be met when Mr Nfamara Bojang was given a court bail to enable him gain his liberty in the meantime.
Mr Bojang arrested on Saturday January 6th shortly after his nomination and later arraigned at the Brikama Magistrate’s Court for alleged “conspiracy and being allegedly found in possession of a falsified Gambian banknote”, charges that he has strongly denied.
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