By Adama Makasuba
The Gambia Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations has condemned what referred to as ‘illegal’ the amnesty recommendation for Sanna Sabally, former vice chairman of AFPRC.
Sanna Sabally confessed to killing of 12 Gambian soldiers accused of an attempt to overthrow the regime of Yahya Jammeh in 1994 in his 24 April 2019 testimony before the TRRC.
However, Muhammed Sandeng who read out a statement at an organised press conference held at the Victim Centre said “Victims of November 11, 1994 together with other families of the victims of various human rights violations during the regime of Yahya Jammeh and a coalition of Gambian organisations condemn in the strongest possible terms the approval of an amnesty for former AFPRC vice chairman, Sanna Sabally, by the TRRC Amnesty Committee and Commission.”
“In his testimony Sanna Sabally didn’t apologise to the families of the soldiers that were executed as he claimed they were in a situation of war and he saw them as enemies, not captured soldiers that were to be treated humanely. He said that the bodies to be taken and buried at the Yundum Barracks
“The announcement of the amnesty comes as a shock to the victims given that according to section 19 subsection 3 of the TRRC Act Sanna Sabally should not qualify for amnesty because the crimes he committed forms part of crimes against humanity. This therefore renders the approval illegal and thus should not be acted by the government of The Gambia. The victims also wish to express their outrage and displeasure at the manner in which they received the information which (is) through the media,” he added.
“We would like to remind the Commission that victims are not incidental, but bona fide stakeholders with a key role to play and the right to participate in the transitional justice process, including any amnesty process.
“This has been reiterated on several occasions, yet the Commission and the government continue to disregard the victims over and over again. The lack of transparency in the amnesty approval process is abysmal and contrary to the “NEVER AGAIN” slogan and spirit. We demand that Sanna Sabally’s amnesty approval is disregarded and warn the government that we will FIGHT against this and any other decisions which deny us our right to justice and a say in the transitional justice process in The Gambia,” he read out.
