THE FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT OF ALL DETAINEES IN CONNECTION WITH THE ALLEDGED COUP ATTEMPT MUST BE RESPECTED
BINNEH S MINTEH
Massive arrest and detention of senior officers of The Gambian Armed Forces and prominent civilian is the talk within and beyond the territorial boundary of the tiny West African State. The reason given as usual and always was “an attempt to overthrow the regime of President Yaya Jammeh.”. As a victim of the same regime, for the same reason, it is not at all a surprise to me and to most Gambians, that the regime has once again employed its notorious strategy, to silent innocent Sons of our beloved country.
We can all fully recall in November 11th 1994, when this same regime rounded up some officers, non-commission officers and summarily executed all. It was on this sad day when the following officers were executed.
a) Lieutenant Bassiru Barrow
b) Lieutenant Abdoulie Faal
c) Lieutenant Gibril Seye
d) Lieutenant Buba Jammeh
e) Lieutenant Modou Lamin Darboe
f) Lieutenant Momodou Manneh
g) Officer-cadet Sillah
h) Sgt- Major NYANG
i) Corporal Bassiru Camara and many other junior ranks.
One year later this same regime arrested its former vice chairman Capt Sana Sabally and Interior secretary of State Sadibou Hydara who was tortured to death whilst in prisons. They were also accused of plotting to overthrow the regime, whilst in the actual fact it was due to a difference in principle as far as a revolution is concerned. The two were seen as an obstacle to Jammeh’s intention of hanging onto power, by and all means.
A few years after that , Gambians again witnessed the brutal murder of Almamo manneh, Corporal Dumbuya and the imprisonment of Landing Bereck Sanneh , for the same bogus nonsense. The list goes on and on and on. What about the mysterious disappearance of Foday Makalo and the torture of Ousainou Njie? How about the brutal murder of former Finance Secretary of state Ousman Koro Ceesay and the massacre of our student demonstrators? Was it not only last year that our veteran journalist Deyda Hydara was slain in cold blood?
Today the crumbling regime has embarked on the same strategy by arresting and detaining Gallant sons of our beloved country due to paranoia and distorted perceptions of a failed leadership. Are we therefore going to let Jammeh continue executing innocent Gambian citizens for his own selfish reasons? It is time brothers and sisters for Gambians both overseas and abroad to revisit our state of affairs and start taking appropriate actions to challenge such madness. This challenge should be imbued with characteristic traits that are difficult to compromise. Our lives and our causes from now onwards should be centered on characteristic traits such as sacrifice, selflessness, dedication and love in salvaging our dearest motherland from decadence inflicted upon us by morons and thugs.
The names of the following arrested and detained Gambian Citizens must therefore continue circulating for the benefit of transnational civil society and International human rights watch dogs. We must collectively ensure that their fundamental human rights are fully protected and that the due process of law according to our constitution be fully respected.