Nigerian judge Sentenced 6 Gambian Journalists to 2 Years

By Ebrima G. Sankareh, Editor-In-Chief

Earlier this morning, six Gambian journalists: Pap Saine, Reuter’s Central and West Africa dean and Managing Editor of The Point newspaper, his News Editor, Ebrima Sawaneh, Managing Editor of the Foroyaa newspaper, Mr. Sam Sarr, and three Executive officials of The Gambia Press Union, Mrs. Sarata Jabbi-Dibba, a lactating mom of a six-month old baby, Emil Touray and Pa Modou Faal were found guilty of six bogus counts of sedition, defamation and conspiracy brought by the utterly criminal government of Yahya Jamus Junkung Jammeh, a self-proclaimed professor with a doctored high school diploma.

Predictably, in his judgement, Nigerian judge; Justice Emanuel Fagbenle found the accused guilty of all six charges and sentenced each of them to two years jail terms running concurrently. Each was also fined a sum of 500,000 Gambian Dalasis. 

Our correspondent in tears described the scene in the ill-fated High Court as tense and sombre with armed military guards and paramilitary forces occupying every square meter of the premises. Others were still brandishing AK 47 riffles in the regime’s classic shows of bravado and laughable hyperbole.

Armed military guards then escorted all 6 to The Gambia’s infamous Mile II Prisons (Africa’s hell on earth) where over the past 15 years of Jammeh’s rule, many a healthy prisoner have graduated maimed, psychotic and others still perished amid the hellish nature of the place.

Asked if the convicted journalists and their lawyers were contemplating appeal, our correspondent said, “appeal was absolute”, but that the country’s highest Court, The Gambia Court of Appeal was in recess until October. Our correspondent also laments that “Pap Saine’s health was worrisome to both his family and the Gambian press corps- he suffers heart complications and was due for overseas treatment when he was arrested and charged and now he is a prisoner in the worst prison in Africa”, he said. In fact, says our reporter, Saine had earlier this year checked in a Senegalese hospital that diagnosed a complicated heart problem and referred him to pursue overseas treatment.