Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Ousainou Darboe & Co freed

- Advertisement -

By Alhagie Jobe

Gambia’s opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Ousainou Darboe and eighteen other party members including the entire executive who were jailed for three years have finally been freed on Monday, December 5th, 2016.

- Advertisement -

15253424_1528976597117684_512533091706169574_n

The Gambia Court of Appeal granted the unconditional bail to Mr Darboe while the other nineteen other co-accused were granted light conditional bail of only relinquishing their National ID Card or Passport and a Gambian national to act as a surety.

15232338_372418439777938_2736822282855431453_n

The others are Kemeseng Jammeh, Femi Peters, Lamin Dibba, Lamin Jatta, Babucarr Camara, Fakebba Colley, Ismaila Ceesay, Momodou Fatty, Dodou Ceesay, Samba Kinteh, Mamudu Manneh, Nfamara Kuyateh, Fanta Darboe, Lamin Njie, Juguna Suso, Momodou LK Sanneh, Yaya Jammeh and Masanneh Lalo Jawla.

- Advertisement -

15380502_372418113111304_6725625090179820592_n

Mr Darboe and Co where on July 21st, 2016, convicted and sentenced to serve 3 years in prison consecutively by Nigerian machinery judge Justice Eunice O Dada.

judge-odada

They were all charged with seven counts of unlawful assembly, riot, incitement of violence, riotously interfering with traffic, holding a procession without a license, disobeying an order to disperse from an unlawful procession and conspiracy.

- Advertisement -

 

After been freed on Monday, Mr Darboe and Co were escorted back to the Mile II prisons for administrative paper works and then finally released to reunite with their families.

15349794_372445936441855_9164326027379935580_n

Thousands of people lined up the streets from Denton Bridge to West Field to welcome Mr Darboe and Co. He was accorded a special welcome with a full convoy to his home.

15327401_199043260554960_1189269223543097628_n

Case

It could be recalled that Mr Darboe and Co were arrested on April 16th after staging a peaceful protest demanding the release, dead or alive of the party youth leader Solo Sandeng.

13023654_10209408494756124_934550678_n

Solo Sandeng was arrested in an earlier April 14 protest for demanding electoral reforms. He was allegedly tortured and died under state custody.

13006497_1045643282172793_372261343148048396_n

Mr Darboe and Co have since been charged, denied bail and remanded in the state central prison of Mile II. The international community had denounced the action of the government and called for their immediate release and for the government to launch and immediate investigation into the death of Solo Sandeng.

13164323_10207561360805355_4089302175764181961_n

After for long been mute over the dead of Mr Sandeng in state custody, President Jammeh in an interview with the French Magazine Jeune Afrique in May 2016 confirmed the death of Mr Sandeng and rubbished the call for investigation.

 

Again, the state prosecutors also admitted in court on Thursday, June 16th that Ebrima Solo Sandeg ‘indeed’ died in state custody. The confirmation was contained in a reply by the State’s Director of Public Prosecution SH Barkun to a Habeas Corpus filed on behalf of the late Sandeng at the High Court for the Gambia government to produce him dead or alive.

 

During the three month trial, the accused persons where been represented by a team of defense lawyers led by Senior Counsel A.A.B. Gaye and included A.N Bensouda, Hawa Sisay-Sabally, SM Tambadou, B.S. Touray, OMM Njie, Mary A. Samba, Rachel Y. Mendy, Neneh Cham, Musa Bachilly, Abdoulie Sissoho, Yasin Senghore, Hajum Gaye, M. Touray, Sagar Jahateh, and Dayoh Small.

Popular Posts