By Lamin Njie
The Ecowas court has ordered the Gambian state to set up an independent panel of inquiry to look into the 14th and 16th of April 2016 events.
The Gambia government under Yahya Jammeh in April 2016 launched a brutal crack down on members of the United Democratic Party. A group of UDP supporters led by Ebrima Solo Sandeng had staged an unannounced protest at Westfield. Police however used force to quash the protest. Most of the protesters including Mr Sandeng were arrested and tortured. Mr Sandeng tragically died.
Two days later on 16 April, UDP senior figures including Ousainu Darboe also took to the streets. They were arrested, maltreated and later jailed.
The UDP figures later filed a case at the Ecowas Court of Justice over their arrest, detention and torture.
The Ecowas court in a ruling last week ordered the Gambia government “to set up an independent panel of inquiry to look into the events of the 14th and 16th of April 2016, and also determine the persons responsible for the arrest, detention, torture and other forms of ill-treatment of the applicants be made to give account of their actions by putting in place effective measures to discipline and prosecute the police officers involved.”
It follows an initial order for the Gambian state to pay the sum of $100,000 equally to the 1st (Ousainu Darboe), 3rd (Femi Peters), 4th (Lamin Dibba), 5th (Lamin Jatta), 15th (Fanta Darboe Jawara), 17th (Juguna Suso), 26th (Nogoi Njie), 27th (Fatoumatta Jawara), 28th (Fatou Camara), and 30th (Ebrima Jadama) applicants “for the hardships and violations of their human rights caused to them by agents of the respondents”.
