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Momodou
Denmark
11723 Posts |
 Posted - 01 Mar 2007 : 12:55:00
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AT THE COURT MARTIAL
"I Was Hammered, Stabbed And Fixed To Electric Wire"- 2nd Lieutenant Sanyang
By Fabakary B. Ceesay
Second Lieutenant Pharing Sanyang of The Gambia Armed Forces, who is standing trial for his alleged involvement in the March 21st 2006 abortive coup plot against the government of The Gambia, has informed the court that he was subjected to serious torture before his statement was obtained. Continuing his testimony, second Lt Sanyang indicated that while he was in the vehicle with Lance Corporal Malick Jatta, Corporal Ismaila Jammeh and Private Alieu Jeng, he was mal-treated by Malick Jatta. "Malick Jatta told me, yesterday was your day but today is my day. I asked him, how can you talk to me like that? He told me he would show me what he was going to do next. He tore off my uniform and started putting off his cigarette on my left shoulder. The cigarette burned my skin and I still have the scars," Sanyang lamented. He said that Corporal Ismaila Jammeh intervened and told Malick Jatta, 'How can you talk to him like this?' Malick responded by saying, 'This is an order that I received.' Corporal Jammeh told him that 'All orders are received but not all orders are executed,' he stressed.
Sanyang said that on the way to the NIA Headquarters, Malick Jatta started hitting him with his pistol on his head. He said he sustained about four (4) injuries and blood was oozing from the wounds into his eyes and dripping down on to his uniform. He said that at the NIA, while he was asked to disembark from the vehicle, Malick Jatta attempted to clear off his legs from the ground and that he was quick to jump and avoid his kick. He noted that when Malick missed him on his attempt, he fell on the ground. He said that Malick became very angry and pulled a small size hammer from under the seat of the vehicle. "He hit me at my left jaw and a tooth was broken, as I spat on the ground, broken pieces of my tooth fell out on the ground," he emphasised. Sanyang pointed out that he was later taken to the back of the main building and was instructed to kneel down but he said he refused, saying: "My subordinates cannot order me to kneel down on the ground." He indicated that Malick Jatta told him that orders are no more his, but that it was him (Jatta) who was in charge. "Then he attempted to slap me but I blocked him with my hands and he repeated the attempts three times, all of which I blocked," said Pharing. Lt Sanyang narrated that Malick Jatta then pulled out a knife and attempted to stab him on his face, but he blocked that also. He said that the struggle between him and Jatta continued until the handcuffs on him became very tight and his muscles became weak. "I could not block his attempts with strength and I sustained severe injuries from stabbing at my left and right hand." I was bleeding from the hand and blood was coming from my head and my mouth started to swell. I was in a severe pain," Sanyang stressed. He said that Malick Jatta continued striking him with the bayonet until he lost balance and fell on the ground. "While I was struggling to get up, Malick Jatta gave me a blow at the back of my head and I fell down again. At that point Corporal Ismaila Jammeh and Private Alieu Jeng came and picked me up and there they took me before the panel," said Sanyang. Lt Sanyang said that he was semi conscious at the time he reached the panel. He said Momodou Hydara of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) was asking him questions but that he could not understand the questions. He said that Hydara then ordered him to be taken to Mile Two Prisons until he was conscious enough to answer their question. He said that at that point Colonel Lang Tombong Tamba arrived and when he saw him in that terrible condition, Tamba asked him, "Who did this to you?" I told him it was the soldiers who were treating me like this. Tamba said, "How can the boys do this when we are on the investigations" Sanyang said. Pharing said that Captain Alagie Martin came later and Colonel Tamba ordered him to go back to State House and bring other soldiers to escort him to Mile Two Prisons. He said he was later escorted back to Mile Two Prison by Captain Martin, WO2 Armando Jatta, Sergeant Pa Omar Jah and Lance Corporal Bakary Sonko.
Going further, Second Lieutenant Pharing Sanyang said that he was again taken before the panel for investigators on the alleged coup plot at the NIA headquarters. He said Captain Musa Jammeh (then Lieutenant), alias Maliya Mungu, came in and said, "Hey commando, what are you doing here? I asked him are you not the one who arrested me and now you are asking me what I am doing here? Then he told me, finally you are in my trap," said Sanyang. Lt Sanyang indicated that Hydara asked him about the alleged coup plot, but he insisted that he did not know anything about it until when Captain Famara Jammeh informed him and they also informed their commander, Major Njie. He said that Hydara insisted that he (Sanyang) knew something about the coup and that he was part of it. He said that Hydara told him that they were already told by others about his involvement. "I asked him "How can I be part of a coup that is plotted against the government and I went to receive the president at the airport and I was also responsible for the airport security and I was fully armed and equipped? If I was part of it, I would have carried it out because I have the troops at my disposal at the airport," Sanyang stressed. Sanyang posited that Hydara insisted that he should accept that he was part of it and should write a statement that he was part of it. "I insisted and he (Hydara) brought a bunch of papers and told me that those papers contained the information about the people who were arrested before me." He said that WO2 Nfally Jabang said, "Hey look you are not here for a joke, you must accept that you are part of it." He said that there was a push and pull between him and Jabang and Hydara gave him a blank paper and that he wrote a statement, but the panel was not satisfied with the content of it. "Then Musa Jammeh who was standing behind me, said this man is hard hearted, if he is not forced, he will not write a statement to accept that he is part of it," he explained. He indicated that Captain Musa Jammeh told him that if he did not write a statement to say that he knew something about it and was part of the coup, they were going to deal with him. He said he was later taken to another room and was ordered to write another statement but that he insisted that they should bring the other statement for him to copy from that. He said that Lamin Cham insisted that he should write a separate statement. He noted that Cham then went to the panelist and informed them that he (Sanyang) was not cooperating to write a new one. He indicated that Lamin Cham and Musa Jammeh came and told him that if he failed to write that time, they would show him how to write it. He said that he also insisted that his first statement should be brought or he would not write a new one. "Musa Jammeh brought two electric wires, black and red and told me that if I did not write a statement to indicate that I was part of the coup, they would fix me to the electric wires," he said, Sanyang pointed out that he thought that Musa was just threatening him and that he further insisted on not writing. "Musa then placed the wires on my right hand and plastered them, and asked, 'Are you going to write or not? and I still insisted. He then put the wires in the electric socket and put it on and I started screaming. It was too painful because the current was burning my hand. While I was screaming, Captain Martin came in and they switched off the current. Martin told me to accept to write a statement just to save my life. I told Martin, what I wrote is what I know and if I wrote something else that means I would be lying. Then Musa switched on the current again and I started to scream again. Just to save my life, I agreed to write and I wrote lies based on the statements of the arrested people before me. I wrote the statement under a forceful order and terrible condition and I was feeling terrible pain", Pharing said.
Continued at: http://www.gambia.dk/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3238
Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 024/2007, Feb 28 - March 1, 2007
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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