15 Years Still No Justice For Fallen Students

FIFTEEN YEARS HAS GONE, WHEN 14 INNOCENT STUDENTS PLUS A RED CROSS VOLUNTEER AND A THREE-YEAR OLD CHILD WERE BRUTALLY MASSACRED IN COLD BLOOD BY THE POLICE INTERVENTION UNIT (PIU) OF THE GAMBIA, AND YET STILL NO JUSTICE HAS BEEN TAKEN PLACE !!!

By Lamin Saddam Sanyang, The Netherlands

Fifteen years ago April on the 10th and 11th 2000 were among the darkest days of our smiling coast. April 10th was the day when unarmed students in the Greater Banjul Area, under the leadership of the Gambia Students Union (GAMSU) decided to stage a peaceful demonstration against a host of grievances including the alleged beating to death of their colleague Ebrima Barry by the officers of the Brikama Fire services, as well the alleged raping of a thirteen-year-old student girl by a member of the security forces at the independent stadium, where an annual inter-schools sports competition was taking place, and five soldiers of the 2nd Battalion were also responsible for the death of two students at Brikamaba.

Ebrima was taken to the station, where his head was shaved, he was beaten, he was forced to carry heavy bags of cement, stripped him naked, poured cement on him, and finally put cement in his mouth and forced him to swallow. Ebrima Barry went home that night and the following day he died from injury. Their peaceful demonstration was violently suppressed by the Gambia security forces whereby fourteen students plus a red cross volunteer and a three old child were brutally killed by President Yahya Jammeh’s henchmen and several others were injured and some maimed for the rest of their lives. The students did not back down upon viewing the violent response of government to the protest of their colleagues in the greater Banjul area, several rural towns also launched their protests on the following day april the 11th 2000, they were violently harassed and several hundreds of students were detained country wide.

The only crime these innocent young students committed, if they committed one, was peacefully demonstrating their civil, democratic and constitutional rights. Those unarmed and powerless students supposed to be the tomorrow leaders of our country. Their rights and lives were deliberately taken away from them without giving them the chance to face justice.

At the day of the demonstration, President Jammeh was out of country. He was called and inform by his vice President Isatou Njie Saidy. The saddest part of the story was the exact words that came out of the stinking mouth of President Jammeh was, GO AND KILL THOSE BASTARDS !!! This is the way President Jammeh ordered to massacre the innocents feature leaders of our country. And yet still you are going around the world telling people that you care about Gambia and her people. How can you murdered our future leaders like an ants and going around and said that you cares The Gambia and her people? You idiot!!!

Mr. President, you are nothing but a pathological liar, and all what you represent and stand for, is selfishness and betrayal to oath.

According to the constitution of the second republic of the Gambia, those students did not committed any crime. Because our constitution says:

25. FREEDOM OF SPEECH, CONSCIENCE, ASSEMBLY, ASSOCIATION AND MOVEMENT.

(1) Every person shall have the right to –

(a) freedom of speech and expression, which include freedom of the press and other media.

(b) freedom of thought, conscience and belief, which shall include academic
freedom.

(c) freedom to practice any religion and to manifest such practice.

(d) freedom to assemble and demonstrate peaceably and without arms.

–
Mr. President, you and your bunch of criminal, have you ever read this section the constitution is talking about?

Where are the rights of these fourteen students, a red cross volunteer and a three year old child who were brutally murdered in daylight without any hesitation?

• Mr. President, are you going to give the same order to massacre them if your daughter Mariama Jammeh and your son Modou Lamin Jammeh are among the demonstrators?

–
Mrs/Miss Vice President, the statement you gave after those students were massacred, are those words your own words?

–
If those words are yours, will you still use the same words when those victims are your own children?

–
If does words are not yours, then who gave it to you?

–
Who commanded you to read it?

–
Is that statement match with the constitution?

May the souls of the victims of the april 10 and 11 rest in perfect peace and the souls of souls those past away before and after them.

Ameen

Ends