The fate of a detained Gambian Muslim cleric remains in limbo. Imam Alhagie Ousman Sawaneh remains in illegal detention since his arrest on October 18th. Gambian officials have not explained why the Kanifing South mosque Imam is detained. Intelligence agents who arrest him are not talking either, throwing his family and congregation into endless confusion. They have since been searching for answers without success.
Imam Sawaneh is denied family visit or appear before a court, which all violate his constitutional rights. He is reported to be detained in Janjanbureh prison in Central River Region. Imam Sawaneh is reportedly investigated on allegations of orchestrating the shocking defeat of a ruling candidate in last August Lower Saloum by-election. The APRC candidate Kaba Touray badly lost to the NRP’s Modou Bamba Gaye.
Kairo News is investigating Imam Sawaneh’s story. His illegal arrest and continued detention follows those of several other Muslim clerics. The Jammeh government has been launching systematic attacks on renowned Muslim scholars since 1994. Its victims of illegal detention without trial and torture include Imam Ba-Kawsu Fofana and Imam Baba Leigh of Sanchaba Sulay Jobe and Kanifing Mosques, respectively.
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If this arrest occur in Senegal , his congregation would have been on demonstration demanding his release immediately. The Gambia being an individualistic society , only imam Sawaneh’s family care about what happened to him , the rest of the population and his fellow religious leaders stay mute about it . Jammeh knows if he illegally arrest citizens nothing will come out it . The Blame of Imam Sawaneh’s illegal detention will be placed on Allah who is responsible for it , ” it is Allah’s will” they will say . What type of Allah did Gambia have which is different from Allah who Muslims believe in ?
Yankuba badjie should put himself in the family of imam Sawaneh to better understand their feelings and frustration . Yankuba , if you or your agents are reading this , my question Is ” how would you feel if your father PA Badjie of New jashwang around cooperative area is arrested and indefinitely detain without any court appearance or seen you or any of your siblings you dearly care about ?” . Remember that the feeling you are gong to get is exactly the same or worst feeling imam Sawaneh’s family is experiencing . Please release this responsible human being to his family .