Gambia: Rambo And Kaniba Still To Be Produced

Jun 10,2007 00:00 by lamin

AS expected by many, the state failed, on Thursday 7^th June, to abide by the earlier court order that it produces the “bodies” of detained political prisoners, Hon Councilor Ousman Rambo Jatta and Mr. Kaniba Kanyi. The authorities instead filed an appeal against the High Court ruling of Tuesday 5^th June that they produce in court the two secretly detained persons. Both members of the opposition UDP party have been lingering in undisclosed detention since last year’s electoral campaigns. Mr. Kanyi was detained in August last year while Hon. Jatta was picked up on 23^rd September 2006. The Director of Public Prosecution, Mr. Emanuel Fagbenle , informed the court that the state was appealing the High Court’s ruling and that they were also filing a motion for the stay of execution of the court order. The charged being preferred against the two are yet to be disclosed and both the police and the NIA have previously denied that the two detained political activists were in their custody. Some members of Hon. Jatta’s family are also being faced with separate politically motivated charges in a Kanifing Magistrate’s court.