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Momodou
Denmark
11828 Posts |
 Posted - 30 May 2006 : 12:24:15
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ARRESTED TEENAGER ALLEGES TORTURE
By Bubacarr K. Sowe
Several people have been arrested following a recent Daily Observer newspaper publication, which states that Pa Nderry Mbai (the editor of the Freedom Newspaper) has published the list of his informants.
A fourteen year old child (name withheld) was arrested on Tuesday evening by security officers.
Narrating his ordeal, the child who resides in Serrekunda, said he received a phone call on Tuesday evening and the caller told him that there are guests from America who brought something for him. He said the caller indicated that the guests wanted him to go and collect the provisions at Palm Grove Hotel that evening. He said he was accompanied to Palm Grove Hotel by his father. He said on arrival at the hotel that evening, they met one Lieutenant and five other soldiers. The child said he was asked his age, the school he attends, the party his father supports and whether he is a Jarranka (an indigene of Jarra). He said he told them that his father supports the UDP and that he is from Jarra (a region in LRD).
He said at that juncture, the officers started beating him and was beaten on their way to the NIA headquarters. He said he was put in a cell, when they arrived at the NIA headquarters. Our reporter, who went to the boy’s home, said he had blood-shot eyes. The boy said these were due to the numerous slaps he received on the face.
He went on to say that while he was at the NIA, he was asked how he came to know Pa Nderry Mbai and the Freedom Newspaper. According to him he replied that he visited the website one day and decided to subscribe to it, but has never sent a message to the website. He said he was released when the NIA boss came and found him in the cell and then ordered his release.
The father of the child, Fihinkey Kanyi, said his child is innocent. He pointed out that he is not happy with the way the Lieutenant and the other officers treated his child. Mr. Joki Dampha, an uncle to the child, said the soldiers should be professional in the way they handle matters affecting children. He said they will try to meet the Chief of Defence Staff in a bid to discuss the matter with him. He said they will also write a letter to the President of the Republic on the matter.
Lie Jagne, whose son was arrested on Thursday morning, said his family cannot tell where their loved one is incarcerated. 26 year old Pa Ousman Manneh, an Internet Café operator, is said to have been arrested by plain-clothes officers at his Internet Café in Lamin on Thursday morning.
According to Mr. Jagne, the officer who came to arrest his son told them that they have been ordered to search their Internet Café. He said his son was taken to the Police headquarters in Banjul. “Presently, I do not know where my son is held. The following day, the Police told me he is not with them and that they don’t know where he is,” he said.
However, the Police spokesperson, ASP Aziz Bojang, has told Foroyaa on Friday that he did not know where Pa Ousman Manneh is. “We have no one with us and I would not know of any. All I can say is, as the Public Relations Officer, I am not directly involved in the investigation,” ASP Bojang noted.
Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 41/2006, 29-31 May 2006
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Momodou
Denmark
11828 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jun 2006 : 16:45:13
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RE: ARRESTED TEENAGER ALLEGES TORTURE
Following the publication of the above caption, Hijinkey S. Kanyi, the father of the said child walked into our office and demanded a retraction.
Mr. Kanyi said the author of the story, Yaya Dampha, is a relative of the said child who visited the boy after he was released. He said he never wanted the story to be published. He said his child was arrested and the next day, the NIA asked him to go and pick him up from the NIA office. He said he was treated professionally when he went to the NIA office to receive his son. He said he is a "private man" and wants to remain a "private man" and therefore wants journalists to leave him alone.
We are sorry for any inconvenience the publication might have caused Hijinkey and his family members. Our reporter should have sought the consent of Hijinkey before writing anything about the matter.
Source:Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 42/2006, 1 June - 4 June, 2006 |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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