Welcome to Freedom Newspaper Online

Editorial:Daily Observer Management Censors Coup Suspect's Torture Claim!
Daily Observer Management Censors Coup Suspect's Torture Claim!

Gambia's pro-government Newspaper, the Daily Observer is once gain hell bent on censoring torture claims advanced by one of the coup suspects Captain Yaya Darboe. While the Point Newspaper reported about Captain Darboe's torture claim to our surprise the Observer butchered their story by censoring testimonies relating to torture or abuse of prisoners. Darboe lamented in court the way one of his torturers who self styled himself as Hell Manager treated him while at the NIA torture chambers. Darboe's scary testimony was admitted as evidence by the military tribunal tasked with deciding the fate of the accused persons. We all know that the accused persons are charged with capital offence involving treason. The media, the court and local staff have a big responsibility ahead of them. Justice should guide our actions while covering such a high profile case.

The type of journalism the Observer under the leadership of Saja Taal is practicing is dangerous and irresponsible to say the least. In as much as the Observer wants to cover the dictatorship's vicious acts, it should bear in mind that evidence adduced before a competent court of law are public information and should not be censored to favor certain group of people. As reporters, we should report the news faithfully, accurately, objectively without biased. Torture is a universal crime and Newspapers which worth their salt would not sought to censor such news items. Mr.Taal and his team should allow the judicial process to take its cause in the interest of fair play, equity and natural justice. The accused persons have the right to be heard just like in the case of the government witnesses who were given uncensored coverage by the Daily Observer. These witnesses were used to indict the accused persons after the state reached a plea bargaining deal with them. While we are opposed to coups in all it forms, we want to make it clear that it's morally and unethically wrong for the media to side with parties engaged in a case that involved the death penalty if found guilty. We must observe the dictates of the constitution, the supreme law of the land, which says"all accused persons are presumed innocent, until proven guilty by a competent constituted court of law."

Posterity will judge the actions of these unprincipled journalists at the Observer aiding and abetting the dictatorship. We are pretty sure that Saja Taal or any of their editorial staff would hate to be treated the way they are treating the accused persons. We should not be judgmental at this hour. Let wait for the outcome of the legal process before drawing conclusions.

The Observer court reporter never penned that scanty piece. We made our own investigations. We discovered that Mam Sait Ceesay and Saja Taal butchered his piece. Both Ceesay and Taal spent their time at DO to witness late evening editing. Little did these people know that media outlets such as the Freedom Newspaper, the Point, Foroya, the Daily Express and other news mediums outside the country are here to expose the torture stories they are trying to hide from the Gambian public. Our people deserve the right to know how Hell Manager and his team abused the rights of the detainees. The Observer censorship and erroneous reportage of national matters shall come to an end soon. That day, Taal and his group would be make accountable for the cover up stories they penned to justify the totalitarian regime of Yahya Jammeh.

Captain Yaya Darboe's torture claim was just a tip of the iceberg. Their are other accused persons who are eager to share their stories with Gambians. From day one, we maintain that the detainees were tortured. Now that they have started talking we have been proven right. The GRTS trial by media in the early days of the so called coup back in March of this year, was calculated to allay the fears of the coup suspect's families, friends and loved ones- that they were harmed. Hell Manager must have forced detainees such as Tamsir Jasseh, Captain Bunja Darboe, Captain Yaya Darboe and others to conceal the tortures they suffered. Hell Manager is one of Jammeh's hired killers.

The lawyers of the coup suspects should encourage their clients to tell their side of the story. The alleged torture meted out to them by Hell Manager should be documented for the sake of posterity. While Hell Manager's real identity remains unknown, we at the Freedom Newspaper shall continue to dig into the story. Preliminary investigations suggest that Captain Tumbul Tamba championed himself as Hell Manager during the period in question. If our NIA source is to go by, Tumbul used to dress in mask to torture the detainees. Tumbul, alias Hell Manager even went as far as shocking the genitals of the coup suspects to elicit confession from them. Today, the same Tumbul Tamba is between life and death. He is admitted at the RVTH. Tumbulu, we gathered used to dress in red red while coordinating the torture chambers. His followers used to dress in Black-signaling that they were tasked to execute evil errands.

Coming back to the Daily Observer's disservice to our country, the paper's management should come to their senses and realize the urgency to respect the rights of the accused. These crimes associated to Jammeh and his agents cannot be concealed. There are patriotic Gambians committed to exposing this administration come what may. We at the Freedom Newspaper happened to be one of those Gambians. Let the Daily Observer wake up from their slumber and stop the double standards. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. Equal rights and justice. Be real journalists and stop the junk journalism. Censorship cannot save the dirty parts of dictators. We are here to pen down their crimes against our people. Let justice guide our actions.

Posted on Wednesday, October 18, 2006 (Archive on Monday, October 30, 2006)
Posted by PNMBAI Contributed by PNMBAI

Return