Death Sentences Handed Down on Coup Suspects in The Gambia Amid International Outcry!!!
Reports reaching The Fatu Radio Network have confirmed that Justice Amadi, presiding over the secret Court Martial of the suspects in the December 30 coup attempt case, has sentenced four alleged members to death and two others to life imprisonment. The suspected insurgents; Private Modou Njie, Captain Buba Bojang, Captain Abdoulie Jobe, Captain Buba Sanneh and Lieutenant Amadou Sowe were put before what has been roundly criticized by the media, human rights activists, and the International Community as a kangaroo court at The Fajara Barracks, to which the press, independent observers, and family members of the accused were denied access.
As to who were the ones handed what sentence, unconfirmed reports from sources close to The Military in Banjul have said that Modou Njie, Sarjo Jarju, and Buba Sanneh were handed the death sentence while the rest were sentenced to life. Faturadio has in the meantime confirmed from the same sources that all the accused who were also severely tortured have been transferred to the maximum security wing at the Mile two central prisons. Modou Njie’s hands are said to have been broken due to the severe torture meted out on him during his detention.
The convictions however did not come as a surprise to the many observers following these cases for they all have concluded a while ago that the whole process is just a formality to do what Yaya Jammeh had already set out to do – executing all these men to further scare an already traumatized nation. This posting on Facebook by Mamalinguere Sarr, an anchor at Faturadio sums up the feeling of many: “An innocent verdict or a pardon would have been news, death and life sentences are routine under Jammeh, so no surprises here!”
Gambians are currently frantically reaching out to Amnesty International, Human Rights Campaign, Human Rights Watch, Robert F. Kennedy Center, Article19, and governments to intervene in what is considered potentially yet another repeat of what happened in August 2012 when President Jammeh executed 9 political prisoners without due process of the law
