Truth, Reconciliation & Reparations Commission (TRRC) Digest Edition 7
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Truth, Reconciliation & Reparations Commission (TRRC) Digest Edition 7 Jason Florio © Photo: Newspaper The Point ANEKED & © 2019 Presented by: 1| The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) is mandated to investigate and establish an impartial historical record of the nature, causes and extent of violations and abuses of human rights committed during the period of July 1994 to January 2017 and to consider the granting of reparations to victims and for connected matters. It started public hearings on 7th January 2019 and will proceed in chronological order, examining the most serious human rights violations that occurred from 1994 to 2017 during the rule of former President Yahya Jammeh. While the testimonies are widely reported in the press and commented on social media, triggering vivid discussions and questions regarding the current transitional process in the country, a summary of each thematic focus/event and its findings is missing. The TRRC Digests seek to widen the circle of stakeholders in the transitional justice process in The Gambia by providing Gambians and interested international actors, with a constructive recount of each session, presenting the witnesses and listing the names of the persons mentioned in relation to human rights violations and – as the case may be – their current position within State, regional or international institutions. Furthermore, the Digests endeavour to highlight trends and patterns of human rights violations and abuses that occurred and as recounted during the TRRC hearings. In doing so, the TRRC Digests provide a necessary record of information and evidence uncovered – and may serve as “checks and balances” at the end of the TRRC’s work. After each release, the Digests are translated into Fula, Jola, Mandika and Wolof, and transmitted over local radio stations. In addition to translation and transmission of the Digests, ANEKED and The Point Newspaper facilitate panel discussions which aim to engage journalists, activists, victims, politicians and the general public to expand on the themes of the sessions, the trends and patterns arising as well as how the country can learn from the findings to prevent such atrocities in the future (#NeverAgain). |2 DISCLAIMER The current publication is NOT a document emanating from the TRRC. It is produced by ANEKED and The Point Newspaper. The information in this publication has been compiled from live testimonies given at the TRRC hearings. Great care has been taken to accurately represent the verbal testimonies, however errors cannot be fully excluded. Please note that the culpability of any persons mentioned by witnesses can only be established by a competent court. Discrepancies and conflicting testimonies are highlighted on the next page. Photo: ©Jason Florio Photo: ©Jason Ayesha Jammeh’s father (Haruna Jammeh) was killed and forcibly disappeared in 2006 by members of the Junglers, Alieu Jeng, Omar A. Jallow and Sanna Manjang on orders of Yahya Jammeh. 3| DISCREPANCIES/CONFLICTING TESTIMONIES were inconsistencies between his (Amadou Badjie) testimony and that of Omar A. Jallow. Amadou Badjie Ismaila Jammeh (versus Demba Dem) repeated that they killed their prisoner in the vehicle, In his testimony, Ismaila Jammeh claimed that he but the others may have been killed at the range. He only participated in the torture of Bunja Darboe. reminded the Commission that he had been left as a However, in his testimony to the TRRC on 24th and sentry to wait for the ministers so he was not there 25th June 2019, Demba Dem (session 4) recalled for the other murders. During that same session, that while he was interrogated at the NIA in March Omar A. Jallow testified that they put the inmates 2006, one Ismaila Jammeh handed him a statement inside the vehicles, drove to Solo Bojang’s range in and told him to sign. The witness refused and Ismaila Brikama and there they took plastic bag, put them Jammeh threatened to cut his hand. The witness on the head of the inmates and suffocated them to still refused and Ismaila Jammeh then stabbed him death. After killing them, they took them to the bush in the arm. He mentioned that on another occasion and threw them inside a well. Ismaila Jammeh gave him a kick and two days later Alieu Jeng (versus Lamin Badjie and Malick Jatta) he started vomiting blood. Demba Dem also testified that Omar Faal was tortured by Ismaila Jammeh who Alieu Jeng denied participating in the torture of wanted to cut his leg. General Savage, Yahya Darboe, Darboe although Lamin Badjie testified he (Alieu Jeng) had. Ismaila Jammeh (versus Malick Mboob and Malick Jatta) Despite being questioned about Ndogo Mboob several times and being read a statement by Malick Ismaila Jammeh also claimed that he did not Jatta (from session 6), which claimed Alieu Jeng remember witnessing any torture. However, in his had participated in his killing, Alieu Jeng denied any testimony to the TRRC on 11th July 2019, Malick involvement. Mboob (session 5) said that he (Ismaila Jammeh) was present when he was tortured but helped him. Despite being again read out Malick Jatta’s testimony (from session 6), which stated that Alieu Jeng had According to Ismaila Jammeh, he stayed behind participated in the enforced disappearance and when the Junglers went to kill the group of prisoners killing of Daba Marenah, Manlafi Corr, Alieu Ceesay, in 2006. This contradicts Malick Jatta’s testimony Ebou Lowe, Alpha Bah, Masireh/Masi Jammeh (session 6) which stated that Ismaila Jammeh was and a woman called Julia, Alieu Jeng stuck to his present during the mission. testimony claiming his role was limited to escorting Lamin Badjie (versus Amadou Badjie and to prevent the victims from escaping, that he was Omar A. Jallow) not present nor did he hear gunshots during the execution in the forest. Lamin Badjie claimed that the Mile 2 Prison inmates were killed in the other Junglers’ vehicles, not in Alieu Jeng also denied having participated in the his presence at Solo Bojang’s range in Brikama. torture of Imam Baba Leigh and Bakawsu Fofana Yet in session 6, during Amadou Badjie’s testimony, although Malick Jatta claimed otherwise (session 6) the Lead Counsel asked whether the prisoners during his testimony. were killed in the car or at the range, saying there |4 Pa Ousman Sanneh (versus Omar A. Jallow ) Regarding the killing of Sulayman/Saul Ndow and Mahawa Cham Regarding the killing of Baba Jobe Pa Ousman Sanneh said in his testimony that he Pa Ousman Sanneh did not mention his involvement did not participate in the actual killing of Baba Jobe. or knowledge of the killing of Sulayman/Saul Ndow However, in his testimony at the TRRC on 23rd and and Mahawa Cham. This contradicts Omar A. Jallow 24th July 2019, Omar A. Jallow “Oya” (session 6) “Oya”’s testimony (session 6) which stated that at said that Pa Ousman Sanneh was part of the group one occasion, he received a call from Malick Manga who suffocated Baba Jobe to death. telling him to report at the base and mentioned that Pa Ousman Sanneh was present when Malick Manga Regarding the killing of Mamut Ceesay and briefed them that they would go to Kanilai and meet Ebou Jobe with Solo Bojang because two individuals by the names of Sulayman/Saul Ndow and Mahawa Cham According to Pa Ousman Sanneh, after the arrest had bought some weapons as they were planning a of Mamut Ceesay and Ebou Jobe, they were taken coup and had been looking for people to join them. directly to Kanilai, while Omar A. Jallow “Oya” Omar A. Jallow “Oya” did not mention Pa Ousman (session 6) said that the two men were then taken Sanneh as being part of those who killed or buried to their base in Kololi, interrogated and beaten Sulayman/Saul Ndow and Mahawa Cham. The Lead by the officers. It was only after the interrogation, Counsel did not probe this discrepancy/omission in that the senior officers called General Sulayman/ the testimony. Saul Badjie who asked them to wait until he got instructions from Yahya Jammeh who was in Kanilai. Killing of death row inmates from Mile 2 Prison Around 5pm, Saul Badjie called back and informed Nuha Badjie that Yahya Jammeh wanted to see the Pa Ousman Sanneh denied having participated in two Gambian-Americans. the killing of the nine death row inmates from Mile 2 Prison, which conflicts with the testimony of Omar A. Regarding the torture of Imam Baba Leigh, Jallow “Oya” (session 6) who mentioned Pa Ousman Imam Bakawsu (Fofana) and another Imam Sanneh as being part of the team in charge of the mission. Pa Ousman Sanneh denied having participated in the torture of Imam Baba Leigh and other Imams. Yet, in his testimony at the TRRC on 23rd and 24th July 2019, Omar A. Jallow “Oya” (session 6) cited Pa Ousman Sanneh as one of the persons who participated in the torture session of Imam Baba Leigh, Imam Bakawsu (Fofana) and a third Imam, whose name he could not remember. 5| OVERVIEW The peaceful student demonstration had been called by the Gambia Student Union, GAMSU th On 5 August 2019, the TRRC started its seventh leadership following two separate incidents - the three-week session of public hearings of witnesses. rape of 15-year-old Binta Manneh by a paramilitary and the beating to death of a secondary school Before the start of the testimony of the first witness, student, Ebrima Barry by firefighters, and the lack of Jungler Ismaila Jammeh, TRRC Chairman Sise read investigation of both of those incidents. During the a statement on behalf of the Commission, in which protests, orders were given to the security forces to he recalled that in the last session three Junglers fire at the unarmed students, which resulted in the were heard.