By Karamba Touray

By now the whole world is familiar with the sordid process conceived and actualized by the President that has resulted in the railroading of Femi Peters. The vile and indolent conduct of the prosecuting officers and presiding magistrate exemplified by the disregard for due process, trial rules or common decency follow a familiar pattern of official persecution of the Gambian people. The only variable has been the individuals be it Ousman Rambo Jatta, Fatou Jaw Manneh, O.J , Halifa Sallah, journalists, ward level opposition activists such as Tata Camara of Georgetown and countless others. In all of the cases the M.O is exactly the same. The government essentially targets innocent people, co-opt the police and or NIA to manufacture egregious lies, and have immoral contract mercenary judges conclude the travesty with their unjust pronouncements. There isn't even a pretense of propriety in the process of the persecution. For example in Fatou Jaw's case, the Gov’t’s star witness was none other than Basiru Gassama of Bakau, a mentally ill  political wannabe with a stint in Campama whose testimony was literally crazy.  It didn't matter as the sole purpose of the exercise was to persecute Fatou. The same is true in Femi's case.

The police at the direction of the President through the then Inspector General of police, Ensa Badjie who is incidentally at the receiving end of the same fetid judicial system, having been charged with treason set about perverting the law to try muzzling UDP. Yahya Jammeh's calculation was simple and devious in that it relied on the understanding that UDP was never going to have their routine permit requests approved having already directed the police to deny all such requests and that the party would not tolerate what amounted to an effective ceasing of their activities. Having precipitated a set outcome, he then turned around and used the same corrupt police aided by the mercenary judge to persecute Femi. To further the charade the Supreme Court headed by a veteran mercenary, Justice Agim, refused to hear Femi's case despite having the case before them since December because hearing the case would have effectively halted all the bogus prosecution the Kanifing magistrate was presiding over. Mr. Agim also wanted to ensure that Yahya Jammeh's perverted desire of sending an innocent man to prison was met without him and the Supreme Court getting their hands dirty. Regime opponents can't expect to get a fair trial under circumstances in which police and judges are singularly focused on accomplishing dictates from the tyrant. This has prompted some folks to question the wisdom of even bothering to resort to a judiciary this manifestly corrupt to attempt to seek redress. It is an understandable lament but the value in standing up and fighting for justice under adverse conditions and before cruel and unjust adjudicators is in the vindication of the very principles for which the individuals are being persecuted. Femi is in prison because he believes that he and every Gambian ought to be able exercise all of their rights all the time unencumbered . Fighting to assert that is important for anyone who cherishes his liberties and believes in the proposition that freedom and all it's attendant rights is the very essence of man and some people will go to great lengths to fight for their rights.

Once again my fellow citizens and friends of our nation,
take a moment and reflect on how you can help shape events to make things better. Whatever you may think of politics, or individual politicians it is save to assume that something at your core is appalled by the notion of having innocent folks incessantly persecuted in their own country. It is not right and it needn't be the fate of the Gambia and its people. The solution lies in the cumulative effect of our individual efforts in mobilizing the Gambian people to
resolutely oppose the regime of Yahya Jammeh. Work with your family and friends. Wolahi you will succeed in your own small way. Building a democracy entails the sustained participation of all the people and it requires us to be focused, disciplined foot soldiers keeping our eye on the ultimate price: a functional vibrant democracy that guarantees equal protection under the law. We should disabuse ourselves from the notion that some politician is going to build that for us because it just doesn't happen. Let us all stand together and save our country. I’d like to encourage all of you good folks out there in the United Kingdom to try and join the organisers of the Thursday
demonstration in London to condemn the prosecution of Femi and demand his unconditional release.