MARIE SAINE’S PRIVATE MEETING WITH AMNESTY!!!

Details From Geneva Meeting Emerged

Is The NIA Watching Minister Marie Saine????

Justice Minister Marie Firdaus  Saine held a private meeting with Amnesty International staffers, who attended the just concluded UN Geneva Rights conference, following numerous excuses of busy schedules. The Minister finally accorded audience to the Amnesty officials, but sources reaching this paper say Saine insists that the meeting must be witnessed by her entire delegation—for fear of being implicated by the secret NIA agents, Freedom Newspaper’s Weekend Edition can reveal.  That request was granted without rancor, as Amnesty was only interested about hearing Gambia’s side of the story on alleged gross rights abuses perpetrated by the Jammeh administration.

Having thought that Minister Saine would be much freer to discuss some of the controversial rights abuses taking place in the country, at a private forum—outside the United Nations main conference hall in Geneva, Justice Minister Marie Saine, and her delegation responded to an invitation extended to them by Amnesty officials to discuss pertinent  rights issues regarding the former British colony—The Gambia, sources said.

The meeting went ahead, but there was nothing substantive  derived from it—because Madam Saine, and her delegations were not keen at answering questions pertaining to alleged disappearances of perceived political opponents—most importantly the recent mass arrest of civilians, and security chiefs—including the erstwhile Chief of Defense Major General Lang Tombong Tamba.

Justice Minister Saine commented briefly on the country’s human rights situation, but was bit careful about her utterances for fear of being misquoted by her delegation, some of whom are staffers of the National Intelligence Agency, sources said. The NIA operatives  who were part of the Marie Saine delegation, employed covert operations in order not to blow their cover. Some claimed to be staffers of the National Aids Secretariat, and other Departments.

The Amnesty staffers made frantic efforts to get information from Minister Saine, and her delegation but the entire private conference hall was reduced to a ghost hall, as Saine and her delegation were in complete silence, as if they were mourning a death person.

One could read signs of nervousness in their faces. Minister Saine could not throw light on the Amnesty queries in regards to Chief Manneh’s case, and other political opponents currently declared missing.

The meeting dismisses after Saine, exchanged contact information with the Amnesty staffers—with a pledge to get back to them upon her return to Banjul.  Amnesty was supposed to make a follow up with the Minister pertaining the unanswered questions regarding Gambia’s worsening rights situation, sources said.

News of Marie Saine’s sacking  was rumored during her official trip to Geneva. Upon her return, she was reported to have been fired, but a senior NIA official informed the Freedom Newspaper that Saine is currently placed on surveillance. The official said they  received information that she compromised “ state secrets” but would not divulge on the nature of the information Marie Saine must have allegedly compromised.

The NIA official said the President is scouting for her replacement. The NIA  source also said many lawyers have been approached but they turned down the Presidential offer to serve as Justice Minister.