By Ebrima G. Sankareh, Editor-in-Chief

Detained US- based Gambian journalist and pro-democracy activist with the Atlanta headquartered Save The Gambia Democracy Project (STGDP) Ms. Fatou Jaw Manneh was hurriedly ferried to the Kanifing Magistrates' Courts late this afternoon after a barrage of international condemnations and petitions by human rights groups asking the Jammeh government to end Fatou’s illegal arrest and detention. She was led to the Kanifing Courts by a team of bespectacled National Intelligence Agency (NIA) operatives with intent to charge her with allegedly insulting President Jammeh and peddling information to potentially undermine the regime.

            As in most things under Jammeh’s vindictive government, when the all too powerful and much feared NIA finally received instructions to arraign Ms. Manneh; it neither informed her defence counsel Lamin Jobarteh nor the judicial staff of the Kanifing Courts. So when she appeared at the courts, they were engaged in what our competent sources described as "a wild goose chase kind of scenario", scouting for a magistrate to preside over her arraignment. Predictably, no magistrate was available to hear her case and so the arraignment was further delayed, which is a total violation of Fatou’s constitutional rights to due process.

            “Mr. Sankareh, we have no doubt that the case will resume tomorrow at noon before the Kanifing Magistrates’ Courts” reveals an insider. Asked to size up Fatou’s demeanor our source said, “she was terrific, highly upbeat and based on what I saw, I am overwhelmingly confident in her.”