Police in Tujereng released a youth activist of the main opposition United Democratic Party from unlawful detention.
Amadou Jallow, who has had his phone seized, was detained after his arrest on Sunday. The police had earlier stormed the Sunday youth re-organising and engagement tour of the party in Bato Kunku wanting to know what was going on. The youths said they were holding a legitimate meeting and asked police to wait until the meeting was over. The police waited for few minutes before sneaking their way out. The police came back to arrest Amadou Jallow whose compound was used for the meeting. .
The party’s youth committee who are on a wide range of reach out tour of the Kombos have visited over six major villages in Kombo. The trouble spot for the UDP has been Madiana and Tujereng where the party’s youth Secretary, Ebrima Solo Sandeng and 14 youth wing leaders were arrested and persecuted. The station officer at Tujereng, Hassan Bahoum, spearheaded both persecutions.
Amadou Jallow, who chaired the Bato Kunku meeting, is a sole trader who works hard to make ends meet for his family in the Gambia’s tough economic climate.
The UDP leadership had earlier called on Tujereng police to release Mr. Jallow immediately and without strings attached because he had not committed any crime. The party also warned Hassan Bahoum to desist from politically motivated harassment of UDP members in Kombo.
Jallow’s arrest followed the acquittal of 14 UDP youths on all charges of unlawful assembly by Brikama Magistrate’s Courts. Principal Magistrate Dayoh Dago Small ruled that “all the 14 accused persons have no case to answer.” His ruling was based on the premise that everyone in the Gambia has fundamental rights to freedom of association and assembly. He said no one needed a permit to hold meetings on a private property and that it was not necessary to inform the village Alkalo of their intention to hold such a meeting.
Magistrate Small lambasted Mr. Bahoum for interfering with legitimate political gatherings of the opposition. However, UDP leaders would not understand why Bahoum would do the same barely a month after the court ruling.
“We are calling for Amadou Jallow’s unconditional release, as there is precedence in which two legal rulings stipulating that holding political meetings with party members in private locations isagainst the law,” reacted the UDP Youth Secretary. Ebrima Solo Sandeng condemned the “unlawful behaviours of Tujeren police,” wondering why Tujeren police have become notorious in legitimate gatherings of the UDP youths. “We can’ understand why Tujeren has over and over become the problem. We are Gambians with full entitlement to operate our political party activities within the law; we will not therefore accept unlawful police interference into our activities,” Mr. Sandeng said, describing Mr. Amadou Jallow as “a hardworking man who looks after his family with his daily trade. His detention will seriously hamper his trade.”
Solo Sandeng as can be recalled was detain for 21 days without charge and went through trials in Brikama Magistrate court, only to be acquitted. “It seems there is a concerted effort to frustrate Gambian youths in getting enlightened and involved in politics,” Mr. Sandeng said. “The UDP will continue to reach out to the youths, organising its members and making them aware that, the task at hand is for Gambian youths to stand up and be involve politically. We the youths cannot keep fleeing the country, risking our lives through the desert and high seas to Europe, we have to make the Gambia a conducive environment to earn a decent living standard.”
The UDP leader questioned why Tujeren station officer continues to flout the court’s ruling. “We request the release of Amadou Jallow now,” party leader Lawyer Ousainou Darboe said. Mr. Darboe called on the party’s militants worldwide to lend their hand of support to the Jallow family. “The police are meant to uphold the law, they are not to be involved in instigating political unrest. Arresting decent peace loving citizens is creating bitter co-existence and we want Hassan Bahoum to be careful of his actions,” Mr. Darboe said.
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It’s call harassment
The quiet fighter. I use to not respect lawyer Darboe and his style of politics. But 19 years down the line, hearing all the ex-regime people making too much noise now a days, i started to take a serious look at Lawyer Darboe. Without a doubt, he is quiet fighter, a hero to many ordinary Gambians. He may not come out loud and screaming, but he is a brave soldier.
Lafia, this is much more than harassment. It seems Mr Hassan Bahoum is looking for some recognition in the police hierarchy. The more you intimidate and harassment the opposition, the quicker you climb up the ladder.
I agree Michael.
Police did not free him, the title is incorrect and misleading.
Ok jatto, let’s hear your side of the story. I think the guy would have been in detention beyond 72 hrs if he was a mandinka chap as we have seen in the case of lasana jobarteh and other detained mandinkas associated with the UDP. Targeting mandinkas for persecution should stop.
Lafia,
The courts freed him, not the police. this is my point. The rest you mentioned as tribe was not even in my thoughts while respondong to the headliner.
Many thanks mr hassan sarr .Lawyer Darboe is indeed a very brave man. Over the years, The UDP and all its supporters and even their extended families have experienced constant bullying and violation of their very basic human rights in their own country. Yet the man will always refer to the law instead of resorting to violence.
His persistence to resolve all problems via the courts are clearly beginning to bear fruit. Thats the gambia we all want to live in i suppose… so i say, bravo to all of them and their families.
kobe na toumana .Allah naanang
Thanks jatto but one cannot deny that some of these arrests and detentions beyond 72hrs without any valid cause are mandinkaphobically aggravated. It doesn’t if when had that in your head or not. It is just the fact and being silent about it will only make it worst and can plunge our country into chaos, something all peace loving people should avoid.
Lafia Touray la Manju. have you watched the video on the right side of this screen? How can such nonsense happened in a country for almost 20 years and The Gambia doesn’t even have 1 son in the army to put a gun in this idiot’s scull and get ot over with. Lets say he has cure for all these illnesses, how about people’s privacy does he have tp do it in prime time on GRTS? Lawyer Darbo can do it all by himself, Gambians must show love for their country or else we are doomed.