The Fatu Network is getting disturbing reports that the Director General of the Prisons David Colley has warned his officers not to show any form of mercy towards Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, leader of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) and his party militants being detained at Mile II prison.
According to insiders who narrated the story to us, David Colley has given a stern warning to his staff not to particularly show any respect or sympathy towards Lawyer and his co detainees since according to him they came out in the streets to disrupt the peace and stability of the country.
Although staff are said to be afraid to openly sympathize with the detainees, a source inside Mile II said they are also cautious in doing anything illegal because of the high profile nature of some of the people currently being detained at Mile II.
That notwithstanding, conditions at Mile II prison have always been a source of deep concern to rights groups. Each year several inmates die in captivity due to poor diet, torture and overcrowding. The recent death in Mile II was just two months ago when one of the transport union leaders died mysteriously while in remand there.
David Colley who is the prison director has been described by people who know him as someone notorious for showing and administering cruelty towards detainees brought to Mile II especially those branded as enemies of dictator Yahya Jammeh’s government. He and the dictator are from the same village of Kanilai and he was himself sacked several times and kept in Mile II as a form of punishment for being disloyal.
The Fatu Network has got credible news that some of the detainees including female detainees, have varying degrees of bruises on different parts of their body. The UDP leader himself has a bandage on his forehead. His daughter is also said to have bruises on her legs and a bandage on her finger. The Fatu Network has confirmed that these bruises might have emanated from the initial confrontation at the protest site when overzealous security officers roughened up peaceful marchers and were seen even throwing some of them in waiting military trucks like a pack of wood.
We are monitoring this story and any maltreatment of any prisoner will be fully documented and the perpetrators reported to the relevant international organizations for appropriate action.
