by Mustapha Jarju
Almamy Fanding Taal, the spokesperson of the United Democratic Party (UDP) opined that the priority is not either or when to prosecute former President Yahya AJJ Jammeh but the priority is when will the country have a government administration that is dedicated fully to the rule of law and promotion of Justice.
Mr. Almamy Taal said, “You cannot prioritize prosecution because the crime has already been done, and we all know the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC)was established and it has exposed the horror nature of these crimes against Jammeh.”
So, “we are in a process where we need closure and healing, early this year Solo Sandeng was finally buried after six (6) years of his broad daylight assassination, murder, and the case went on for over 6 years before it was decided.”
He added that it is important for the victims of the 22 years of dictatorship to get justice in some form of reparation. Government, he continued, should come up with a formula that in any case where a family member is been murdered or killed as a result of torture by the dictatorship government or has disappeared.
“I think an amount can be decided based on all the factors because if you consider what the person could have earned throughout their lives, it is reasonable to help either they have fewer children or they have left wives behind. That would be a good compensation,” he expressed.
He added that for people who have disabilities due to tortures meted on them by the previous regime and are not employable, their children should be given scholarships, and there should be a national dialogue on that. Justice for the victims means effective reparation or restitution of the victims themselves, other victims who are alive with different kinds of ailments and are having perpetual bodily complaints still not having any support from the government need to be considered, he added.
“These are all things that I believe until and unless we embark on serious institutional reforms and important law reforms, there wouldn’t be changes as we are expecting or we are hoping for,” Taal lamented.