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Momodou
Denmark
11835 Posts |
 Posted - 09 Oct 2006 : 17:14:00
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BUNJA DARBOE AND CO TO FACE COURT MARTIAL
Bubacarr K. Sowe & Fabakary B. Ceesay
The treason trial involving Captain Bunja Darboe and others was on Thursday mentioned before a Court Martial at the Yundum Army Barracks.
The accused persons namely Captain Bunja Darboe former spokes person of the Gambia Armed Forces, Captain Wassa Camara, Captain Yaya Darboe and Lieutenant Pharing Sanyang, were not in court. The advocate judge, Justice Akomoyac Agim said the court martial will work on administrative matters only. “It is fitting to carry out appropriate preparation to enable proceedings to commence,” Justice Agim said. The case was then adjourned to the 11th of October.
The President of the Court Martial is Commander Fofona of the Gambia Navy. The prosecutors are the Director of Public Prosecution, Emmanuel Fagbenle and Lieutenant Jaiteh.
Some of the accused persons were represented by the following lawyers, Borry Touray, Lamin S. Camara and Lamin K. Mboge.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 86/2006, 6-8 October, 2006
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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
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Cornelius
Sweden
1051 Posts |
Posted - 15 Oct 2006 : 15:17:17
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The main requirement is that the Court Martial of Captain Bunja Darboe and others at the Yundum Army Barracks be a fair one. I have no idea of how the rules of the admissibility of evidence differs from the rules in a normal court. I hate the death penalty as much as Danny Glover who says even USAma if caught should be spare-d……( smile) I think he is already in the happy hunting grounds for quite some time now.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=Danny+Glover+against+the+death+penalty&spell=1
Otherwise, the era of coup d'etats and counter coups is surely over, since the International community will not accept those who get to power through the bullet instead of the ballot. The era of coups was succeeded by the era of popular coupists such as Junior Jesus, Flight Lieutenant Jeremiah J. Rawlings' second coming, being twice returned as president , by overwhelming popular ballot, and ditto with Captain Yahya Jammeh, his second term so recently concluded to the chagrin of a disunited opposition still in disarray.
Now, the land of my birth, Sierra Leone, was the first country in Africa – and here we are talking about post-colonial Africa – in which the Opposition won an election, and predictably the incumbent government called in the army then headed by Brigadier David Lansana. This coup was followed by a counter-coup by which Brigadier Juxon- Smith became head of the National Reformation Council and head of state.
Since then , there have been countless coups, attempted coups and counter coups, all of which should be discouraged. The military arm has since to a great extent been depoliticised.
Years later Captain Valentine Strasser was a guest in the Gambia.
Lastly we had Johnny-Paul Koroma depose the democratically elected Alhaji Kabbah who was well received and obtained political asylum in Conakry for the better part of ten months before greater force restored him to POWER.
The period of coups is a phenomenon of the past , simply because they will no longer be legitimised as the AU confirmed.
However , as far as I can see, all things are still possible in Nigeria.
About the idea of treason, when is it treasonable to want to or to act to overthrow a democratically elected government? Always?
In one of the Gambia’s colonial neighbours, the Pa would blow up his own garage, the C.I.D. or National Security service – so called, would follow a bee-line of evidence leading to the front door of the president's enemies, who would then be promptly arrested even as the state of emergency gave the threatened president newer & greater power to deal with the threat of any insurgency.
In the US, we know of the case of Jonathan Pollard.
Here is something of another order all together – TREASON is a legal definition, and the trial ?:
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=24913
This is very different from any allegations of people being framed – which I imagine is easy enough to do when security has a number of moles within their apparatus.
In advance of a verdict I sense Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International on the alert to make their appeals for clemency, should Darboe & Co be found guilty.
Of course if some military man in Jamaica were to announce on the Radio today, that he had taken over by gun’ power, the populace would surely laugh…….such things cannot happen ina Jamaica.
I should sincerely like to add, that there is no reason whatsoever for anyone to attempt to torpedo Yahya Jammeh's government, by other than the democratic means offered by the ballot.
Personally, I like and as stated before appreciate/ admire Alhaji Dr. Yahya Jammeh and in time – his well-earned place in Gambia’s political history is assured, only threats and the need for threats or deaths must be totally avoided as much as possible. We know that the Gambians are peace-loving and democratically-minded people. Let them repair the opposition ( always an alternative to even the best of governments) and let them go on an education mission so that soon the era of voting by marbles will also be over and the era of media-created public opinion will also be on the rise, in a still growing democracy. Growing from strength to strength, with a separation of powers, a strong independent judiciary, greater rule of law and greater freedom - the unafraid freedom and responsibility of the press
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Edited by - Cornelius on 15 Oct 2006 16:21:46 |
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