Gambia’s exiled former president Yahya Jammeh is culpable for human rights violations including extrajudicial killings, rape, torture and disappearances during his 22-year rule, according to a newly released report by the country’s truth commission.
A summary of the report by Justice Minister Dawda Jallow begins with the abuses that took place in the first few months of Jammeh’s 1994 coup, in which members of his junta unlawfully arrested and tortured political prisoners, opponents and critics.
The report released to The Gambia’s partners on Friday catalogued among other thing findings which suggest Jammeh is criminally liable for the killing of veteran journalist Deyda Hydara, the torture of political prisoners and the rape of former beaty queen Toufa Jallow.
Jammeh together with his vice president Isatou Njie Saidy are named among those responsible for the shooting dead of 17 civilians mostly schoolchildren on April 10 and 11, 2000 when they took to the streets in a rare protest that year.
He and some of his cohorts such as former Interior minister Ousman Sonko, Tumbul Tamba, Sulayman Badije, Bai Lowe are responsible for the attempted murder of prominent lawyer Ousman Sillah.
“Yahya Jammeh is culpable together with Omar Cham as his superior for his failure to punish Omar Cham for the tortures that he committed against NAWEC staff between 2001 and 2003″ the report says.
The former Gambian leader who is exiled in Equatorial Guinea since losing a presidential election to current President Adama Barrow has been fingered and held responsible for the sexual abuse of several protected witnesses.
He and former health minister Dr. Tamsir Mbowe are also found liable for the deaths of 41 HIV/AIDS patients “who died as a result of their fake treatment programme”.
“Yahya Jammeh, Solo Bojang and Saikou Jallow bear responsibility for the deaths, sexual violence, torture and other inhumane acts and persecution committed against the persons they accused of being witches or wizards during the president’s witch hunting exercise” the report points out.
Yahya Jammeh, Saul Badjie, and Solo Bojang are also named as bearing the greatest responsibility for the unlawful execution of nine Mile 2 death-row inmates while he and Yankuba Badjie, a former director general of the National Intelligence Agency, Sheikh Omar Jeng, and Tamba Masireh are responsible for the torture and persecution of the opposition United Democratic Party supporters in April 2016.
Meanwhile Justice Minister Dawda Jallow says any individual who had appeared before the commission to express remorse over their action after being adversely mentioned in its proceedings can avail themselves of Section 19(1) of the TRRC Act and apply to the commission for amnesty.
The commission shall within a period of 6 weeks review all applications for amnesty and provide a report to President Adama Barrow.
The Gambian Justice minister said “In line with Section 19(3) amnesty shall not apply to acts which form part of a crime against humanity. The findings are subject without prejudice to any future prosecution. In the interim the adversely mentioned individuals continue to benefit from the presumption of innocence.The Government will continue its review of the TRRC report as well as any recommendations for amnesty and shall issue a White Paper on or before the 25th of May 2022”.
WN/as/APA