Mathew Jallow

Petitions UK Gov’t. -Calls Jammeh

Brutal Dictator’

In the on-going saga following the detention of Gambian journalist, student activist and human rights crusader, Abdou Karim Sanneh The Gambia Echo’s Associate Editor Mathew K. Jallow petitions UK Government. In this arresting letter, Jallow reveals in harrowing details the regime’s trail of havoc and destruction ever since coming to power on July 22,1994. He also provides a list of the numerous Gambians and other foreign nationals who have either been killed or jailed by the Jammeh government. Below is Mathew’s letter to the Hon. David Wright Miliband British Foreign Secretary:

 

February 16, 2009

Dear Sir,

I wish to join my friend Dr. Abdoulaye Saine, and the chorus of other concerned Gambian voices that have come together to show solidarity with our colleague Mr. Abdou Karim Sanneh. The deportation proceedings being instituted against our compatriot, Mr. Sanneh is of grave concern to us. If anyone deserves protection and the welcoming arms of the government of the United Kingdom, it is Mr. Sanneh. A vociferous critic of Gambia’s military dictatorship, his biting criticisms as exemplified by his numerous articles and political commentaries, has earned him a place on the dark side of the murderous regime of Yahya Jammeh. Like many dissidents operating outside the borders of our country, Mr. Sanneh is a wanted man in The Gambia, and his repatriation will most certainly lead to his arrest, imprisonment, torture and possibly death. At this time, several journalists are in jail there, and despite demands by an ECOWAS court and Amnesty International U.K and journalism protection organizations around the world, the regime has refused to allow access to them, much less to release them in compliance with an ECOWAS court ruling. Although there is irrefutable evidence some immigrants abuse the immigration laws of western countries, Abdou Karim Sanneh is most certainly not one of them. Mr. Sanneh is an intelligent, honest and well-mannered young man, whose fear of prosecution back in The Gambia has basis in reality. When he fled to the United Kingdom to seek protection from the brutal and murderous regime of Yahya Jammeh, he did so following the trail of exodus from The Gambia of nearly twenty other journalists, the majority of whom have found refuge in The United States.

In 1994, when the military regime came to power in The Gambia, there was a vibrant and thriving independent media that included print, Internet and radio, but today, one after the other, all the media houses have been silenced by the draconian laws of the regime. Some journalists have been murdered and others languish in prison, while others continue to be prosecuted, tortured and murdered. The once engaged and forward looking independent media voices have fallen silent as media houses were burnt to the ground, and journalists run out of the country against their wills. And today, no one dares to criticize the Jammeh regime for fear of prosecution or worst; death, and the absence of an independent media has given Yahya Jammeh the liberty to rule like an imperial monarch. As a matter of fact, it is an understatement to call Yahya Jammeh anything other than brutal dictator, who has left a trail of blood, suffering and misery in the wake of fourteen years of reign of terror. Gambians are fleeing the country in record numbers, with the vast majority of them still living in Senegal and other regional countries, but with such proximity to The Gambia, even those find their lives in mortal danger. The situation is dire for many Gambians, in particular, journalists, opposition politicians, and bureaucrats and now even the civilian population. Over the past three weeks alone, nearly five hundred civilians from rural and semi-urban of towns of Jambour, Barra, Essau and the Foni District, have been arrested and accused of witch craft, and have been shipped to the capital Banjul where they remain locked up in the worst prison system in Africa. Based on these facts, we urge the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office to reconsider Mr. Sanneh’s case and to offer him the protection he deserves. Below, find attached two lists that tell a story of the kind of brutal repression, torture and murders that Gambians are subjected to in our country. This list was part of an open letter to the new U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Susan E. Rice, and copied to the names on the list below.

List 1

Since coming to power, Yahya Jammeh’s regime has committed many atrocities against the people of our country. His regime is currently under investigation for the summary executions of 55 Ghanaians and 4 national of other ECOWAS member countries, all of them immigrants on their way to Spanish Grand Canary Islands. New information has surfaced recently accusing the Jammeh regime of slaughtering 10 Nigerians and hiding this atrocity. And just three months ago, Amnesty International, U.K. released a damning report on The Gambia, a testament to the egregious conduct of the regime there.

Murdered Civilians         

Extrajudicial Executions: Military/Security Officers

Mysterious Deaths: Military/Security Officers

Missing Gambians

Other Tortured Political Prisoners

Alhagie Kebbeh: Nearly killed in brutal beating, now disabled
Wassa Janneh: United Democratic Party, Tortured and detained
Marian Denton: Human Rights Attorney/Lawyer, jailed, tortured and released
Ousman Rambo Jatta: United Democratic Party, jailed, tortured and released
Tamba Fofana: School Head Master, jailed for over a year, tortured and released

Foreign Nationals Massacred In The Gambia

10 Nigerian immigrants: New revelations still to be investigated

List 2

This is a partial list of Gambians arrested from March 21, 2006 - March 2007. The list is not complete, however, it is important to know that some on this list are known to have been summarily executed by military firing squads, while other have vanished; some for many years, and their fates are not yet known. Many of the others have been freed from prison and fired from their jobs, while the rest, sentenced to very long prison terms, are languishing in inarguably Africa’s worst prison, Mile II. Many of those incarcerated at this notorious prison have died of neglect, lack of proper medical care, poor food and diseases.

C.C:

Mathew K. Jallow holds an Associate Degree in Tourism & Hospitality Management, a Bachelors Degree in Business Management and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Wisconsin. A former teacher, social critic, human rights crusader and reputable journalist with years of professional expertise in rural and community development, Mr. Mathew K. Jallow is the founder of Gambia’s umbrella non-governmental organization: The Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (TANGO). His Masters Degree thesis (The African Bureaucracy and the Barriers to Democracy and Development) can be obtained by writing to:editor@thegambiaecho.com