Amnesty Int’l. Workers Released, Dictator Jammeh Bows Down To Pressure
By Ebrima G. Sankareh, Editor–In-Chief
Lawyer Lamin Camara . Ameen Ayodele, Detainee
Highly placed sources close to the US Department of State reveal that three Amnesty International (AI) advocates: Ms. Tania Bernath, Amnesty’s Africa Programme Director, Mr. Ayodele Ameen, Amnesty’s West Africa Bureau Chief and Mr.Yahya Dampha; a reporter with the local Foroyaa Newspaper and Amnesty’s contact person in The Gambia have all been released without any charges against them, but have had their passports seized by the Gambian Police.
The trio were arrested Saturday at around 6 ‘o’clock pm at the Gambian cosmopolitan town of Basse in the Upper River Region by agents of the most feared and all too pervasive NIA- National Intelligence Agency barely an hour before Muslims break their fast in observant of the Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan. Mr. Ameen and Yaya Dampha were both fasting on this fateful day of the arrest. While Dampha managed to break his fast at the observed time pegged at 7PM, Ameen continued due to suppressing conditions for two days. They were picked up from their detention facility at Basse police station in the pre-dawn hours and ferried to Banjul’s ill-fated Police Headquarters where, they were flatly denied bail for two days.
Reveal our most competent sources, numerous stake holders among them international human rights organizations, Western powers and donors have written directly to President Jammeh asking for the immediate and unconditional release of the trio. In the end, the dictator bowed down to pressure and the three were let go.
Ameen a Nigerian by birth and Tania a US citizen were asked to surrender their passports. They are currently under the protection of a Western government and are to report to police headquarters Tuesday morning.
It can be recalled that the three together with a local taxicab driver were in the Upper River Region investigating the whereabouts of Mr. Kanyiba Kanyi and Ousman Rambo Jatta two political prisoners arrested by NIA agents a year ago. The government has consistently lie to the courts and family members that Kanyi and Jatta were not in their custody until the rude discovery by this group that Ousman Jatta was at Sare Ngai police station for nine months. From Sare Ngai, they crossed the Gambian river and where headed to Fatototo the eastern fringes of the River Gambia when the NIA, who were apparently on their heels, nabbed them at Basse.
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