Highly placed dependable sources within The Gambia Prisons Service have informed The Fatu Network that journalist Alhagie Abdoulie Ceesay is now been denied all direct contacts with his family following the publication of a petition signed by over 50 media and civil rights organisations around the world calling on The Gambia government to release him.
According to our source, the order to ban journalist Ceesay’s family in accessing him in prison came from the Minister of Interior Ousman Sonko. Minister Sonko was also said to have been instructed by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice Mama Fatima Singhateh to tighten security and surveillance around journalist Ceesay anytime he goes to court.
This came about following the publication of a photo of the embattled journalist sitting pale and sickly on the witness bench inside a courtroom where his case was supposed to be heard. The Justice Minister who is also a mother of young siblings was said to have been angry and incensed by what she said was a serious breach of security for allowing cameramen to take photos of the journalist while inside the courtroom.
True to his overzealousness, no sooner had the warning got to the Interior Minister Sonko than he got into action strictly warning the prison authorities from allowing journalist Ceesay’s family anywhere near the prison facilities.
Meanwhile, security sources within both the NIA and the State House have told The Fatu Network that security personnel are frantically looking for some unspecified members of journalist Ceesay’s family. One of our sources said: “Fatu I want to tell you that currently we have been instructed to increase surveillance on journalist Alhagie Abdoulie Ceesay’s family. In fact they have given us some names among the family who when spotted should be arrested.”
Further to the aggravated harassment the family is going through, the state has meanwhile instructed and bullied all business partners of the embattled journalist to sever all business relationship with him or face the consequences. According to our security sources, this is meant to completely breakdown the Ceesay family by starving them of any meaningful earning opportunities that would make them stand the test of time in this trying period.
The Fatu Network is keenly following this story and we are warning the government of Dictator Jammeh that we are aware of the sinister plots it has hatched against the Ceesay family. If any single member of the Ceesay family gets harmed, then we will squarely put that blame on Jammeh and his government.
