Faced spy charges with AI officials: Former Foroyaa reporter reminisces abuse

By MOMODOU JARJU

Yahya Dampha former human right reporter at Foroyaa newspaper who has told the TRRC that he was arrested with two Amnesty International officials, detained without food and charged with spying.

He said he and Amnesty International officials went on tour during a fact finding mission about the condition of the detainees and the working condition of the security forces.

He said on their way to Fatoto, he and his colleague were arrested by agents of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and took them to the residence of the Divisional Commissioner of the Police.

Dampha said he initially managed to escape the arrest and made several calls to inform his media house, Foroyaa and the Dakar and UK office of Amnesty International about their detention.

He said later at night, the police commissioner Ebrima Cham ordered his men at Basse Police Station to put them in cell where they spent the night.

He said at around 2:00 a.m., he was picked by the police and detain him in another room and asked him to make a statement to implicate the Amnesty officials with the promise that he will be freed when he do so.

The human rights activist cum journalist resident who was testifying to the Commission via Skype said he refused the offer and he was returned to where his colleagues were but they were denied food by the police.

He said on the following day, on November 7, 2006 they were transported to Banjul and upon arrival their cautionary statements were obtained and were charged with spying.

He adduced that they were interrogated at the Serious Crime Unit and later transferred to the Interpol unit in Banjul later granted bail at with a vail bond of $5000.

He said they continue to report to the police on a daily basis until they were informed that their charges were dropped.

He told the Commission about his human right reporting work focusing mainly on the human rights violations by Yahya Jammeh’s rule.

He recalled a day in December 2006 when he spotted Chief Ebrima Manneh and Master Tamba Fofana of Kudang School at the Fatoto Police Station, while Ousman Rambo Jatta detained at Sara Ngai police station.

He said his fled the country to move to the neighbouring Senegal was as a result of information he received from people working in the government, security sector that he was targeted.

Dampha explained the ploy to abduct him back to the Gambia by people who pose as human right defenders.

He said he realized that they were fake as he saw one of them with a pistol underneath his shirt and he shouted, ‘thief! ‘thief!’ and they rushed into their vehicle and drove away.

He said after that incident, the Senegalese government provided him with security until he got asylum to Sweden with his family.

The Monitor

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