By:Nyima Sillah
The African network against extrajudicial killing and enforced disappearance (ANEKED) Friday called on The Gambian government to re-arrest the assassins of ex-President Yahya Jammeh, locally known as (jungulers).
The network, at a press conference on Friday said the petition was in reaction to Gambian justice minister Abubacarr. B .Tambedou’s decision to release the jungulers on August 10, 2019.
ANEKED vowed to educate the Gambian society, especially the youth, to prevent atrocities in the future and give a platform to victims of human rights violations to get their story across and thereby influence the way they are traditionally portrayed in the media.
Sirra Ndow, country representative ANEKED, said the press conference was meant to challenge the lack of confidence in the Gambia government over the release of the jungulers.
“Jungulers came to the truth commission and lied multiple times, and if they should be released on those bases, it is an affront to how the victims feel,” she said.
She pointed out that truth reconciliation and reparation, and transitional justice process could not be completely healed without justice.
She urged the minister of justice to review the matter and see what could be done to restore victim’s confidence in the TRRC.
She said the TRRC and transitional justice were good but what they sought was justice.
“With what is going on and some of the other things that have happened, victims aren’t sure about what could happen at the end of the TRRC when this recommendation comes out,” she said.
Abdoulie Darboe, a November 11, 1994, coup victim, said they were not trying to cause trouble or cause any offence; all they wanted was for justice to prevail and make sure history did not repeat itself.
He noted that the “never again slogan” of the commission involved justice and all the victims that were involved in torturing, jailed or murdered were uniting to support one another.
Amie Janneh, also a victim, said the TRRC should make sure that the never again slogan was something they meant or else, the victims would feel that they were victimized again.
She said that they were not doing this to pay back the atrocities that had been meted out to their families.
“If we want to move forward as a new Gambia, we should ensure that we fulfill the promises that we have made,” she said
