By: Sulayman Waan
Dr. Amadou Scattered Janneh, political activist has unveiled that the conditions of Gambians prisons are very terrible despite improvement, saying lots have to be done to ensure inmates’ wellbeing.
Dr. Janneh remarked this in an interview with journalists in Mile II State Central Prison shortly after his presentation as well as visiting the inmates to their various cells.
The Gunjur based political activist was charged with treason over printing and distributing T-shirt indicating ‘Coalition for Change End Dictatorship now’. He was sentence life imprisonment in 2011 and later released in 17 September 2012 facilitated by Reverend Jesse Jackson.
However, he donated food materials to Mile II, where he was detained for fifteen months. The gesture is part of celebrating what he called his birth and liberation day because he was born on 17th September and released from prison on 17th September as well.
“My purpose of visiting here (prison) is to keep spotlight on the prison for us not to forget about prisoners. They are our sisters and brothers. As you can tell the condition of the prison is very terrible despite the improvement there is lots to be done,” he said.
According to him, the laws along with the structures of the prison have to be completely changed, adding that the wellbeing of inmates has to be a concern for all.
Janneh, 57, further expressed concern on what he called slow change in Mile II, saying the country still maintain the prison act that was inherited from the Gambia’s colonial masters.
He emphasized that there is need for Gambians to engage politicians includes the executive and legislation to ensure they remove colonial prison’s act.
“This act mandate inmates to come out from their cell only 30 minutes in every three hours among other tough conditions on prisoners,” he disclosed.
Notwithstanding the political activist anxiously recommended Gambians to do everything possible to bring about changes in the prison.
“Beside that we also seen the prison’s facilities are very dilapidated, there is lots of heat and when electricity goes off the condition of the cells would become unbearable,” he revealed.
He called on Gambians, especially the concern authorities to speed-up in wiping out the challenges in the prison, noting that the inmates can’t do any development for themselves while under detention.
“The best thing Gambians should do is to make the situation of the prison meets minimum universal standard.”
Concerning inmates who grumble over finding difficult to appeal their cases to the Court of Appeal, Dr. Janneh said the delay of inmates’ cases have nothing to do with the Prison Service but the Judiciary.
“All what we have to do is to keep pushing for cases to be expedited,” he said. Speaking further, he said there is need for concern people to engage political leaders in order to embed reforms that can prevent inmates from having difficulties in appealing their cases or waiting on trials for long period of time.