By Lamin Sanyang
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Tambadou has promised justice for victims of human rights violations committed by the former President, Yahya Jammeh.
Minister Tambadou made these statements at the launching of Gambia Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations GCVHRV at the organisation’s Secretariat in Kotu.
” There will be justice for every victim of Jammeh, ” Minister of Justice Tambadou said.
The Justice Minister told victims and their family members that justice will be served saying it will be difficult to satisfy everyone but his office will ensure that justice is served. He noted that they will take hard and difficult decisions. He said so many unfortunate things happened in the past 22 years of the former president.
“I think I have the toughest job in this country. I took up this job so that nobody will go to bed at night with the fear of someone knocking your door and take you away,” Minister Tambadou asserted.
He added: “We are in a process of rebuilding. We want to avoid other people from going through what some of you experienced.”
Minister Tambadou called on the Gambian people to behave in a mature and responsible manner. He called on them to continued inspiring the world. He further called on the people to exercise patience because all the problems cannot be solved overnight.
“It is our attitude that will determine our success as a nation,” he said.
Tambadou explained that the creation of the Centre will help the government and victims to communicate because it will be difficult to reach out to all the victims in every corner of the country.
“There is a price to peace. We must be ready to pay the price. Let justice guide our action towards our common good.”
Honourable Halifa Sallah, National Assembly Member for Serrekunda said impunity is the worst enemy of humanity. He asserted that the victims of torture, rape and murder among other things require attention as the more attention is given they would feel that justice is being done. He said the country is in the process of building a new culture.
“This is the beginning of another beginning in the evolution of our country,” Halifa Sallah stated.
Sallah urged the people to repeat these words: ‘Never again after this experience’.
Demba Ali Jawo, Minister of Information and Communication on his part said the Gambia is a homogeneous country saying people cannot afford not to reconcile though justice must be served.
Essa Bokar Sy, former Gambian Ambassador to Washington DC was so emotional and close to tears when he started talking about his past military experience with the former President Jammeh at the Gambia National Army, saying they were not recruited to perpetrate injustices but to defend the truth and expel external aggression.
“This is not about Yahya Jammeh as a person but it is about Yahya Jammeh as an institution,” Essa Bokar Sy told the victims.
“It is not a question of vengeance but a question of justice,” he asserted.
Sy explained the long years he spent in exile and the fight to dislodge the former dictator who has been in power for the past 22 years. He called on the government to serve justice to the victims of the former dictator. He urged the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Others speakers people include Imam Baba Leigh and Abdukarim Jammeh who was a victim of April 10th-11th student demonstration. All of them called for justice.
