By Landing Colley
Kaddy Samateh who testified before the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission [TRRC] on Wednesday has narrated her ordeal as she was detained along with her baby girl at the headquarters of police intervention unit.
She was among scores of people arrested in May 2016 protest.
The arrest of Kaddy Samamteh originated after the arrest of Modou Fatty her husband and UDP party leader Ousainu Darboe.
“On the 16th April my husband Modou Fatty and UDP party leader Ousainu Darboe, after their arrest we used to go to the court house without having chance to go inside,” she said.
She added: “on 9th May 2016 we went to the court house and around 2pm the court session ended my Husband and Ousainu Darbor were returned back to mile 2 but by that time we did not have a vehicle to go back home.
She said that they were helped by the police and dropped them at Iceman where they were surrounded by the police officers who fired teargas at them.
“We scattered because we were terrified and they started chasing us but while I was running a police officer beat me at the back then I felt down and he continued to beat me until I felt inside a ditch.”
She continued further, “another police officer joined him inside the ditch continued beating me and later I was put in truck were I found other police officers that (who) beat me,” too.
She said they were detained at PIU headquarters at Kanifing plus other six women and some men as well, while her baby was later brought to join her.
Where she was detained, she said there was no ventilation, mosquito net not to talk of bed for the baby to sleep, there. She added that teargas was once fired at them inside the cell which disturbed the baby a lot.
“Early in the morning we were asked to get up to wash the bowls, toilets and sweep the compound and at that time my baby used to cry but they will not allow me to see her until we finish those works. My baby skin started to peal. After spending 11 days we were later taken to the court at Kanifing. Our lawyer appealed to them to forgive me because ‘am with a baby but they refused,” she said.
She stated that their cases were later referred to High Court where they granted them bail. This helped her and the baby to seek for medical attention but “we were later called to court and got arrested again which affected my baby a lot but after the court proceeded the judge released us base on our first bail but we do go to court.”