The
human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by Yahya Jammeh were not done by
him alone but with the help of his loyalists, who are also citizens of this
country, the justice minister said.
“Therefore,
in the situation that we are, the victims, but also the perpetrators, should
confess so that there will be reconciliation and a better Gambia,” Justice
Minister Abubacarr Tambadou said at meetings in Central River and Upper River
regions.
It
was a meeting of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC)
taskforce with the respective communities as part of a nationwide tour to
enlighten people about the proposed commission.
The
taskforce comprises civil society organisations, Ministry of Justice, the
United Nations Development Programme and other relevant stakeholders. It engages the people on how the TRRC would
properly dispense justice for the violations and abuses of the Yahya Jammeh-government.
“The
commission is to be established to serve as a healing centre for the victims
and loyalists that committed crimes and atrocities to come forward to lodge
their complaints because from that recommendation and observation would be made
for the commission to do its work,” the minister said.
“The
people who committed those inhumane crimes for Jammeh, it will be difficult for
them to accept but if they do not then the law shall intervene.”
Minister
Tambedou said the previous government was involved in numerous human rights
violations such as detention without trial, disappearance without trace,
torture among others.
The
Lady Governor of Basse Fatou Jammeh-Touray said she had been informed that had
Jammeh won the December 2016 election, she would be killed as her name was part
of the ‘black book’ of the former government.
The
governor said some of the alleged perpetrators of Jammeh-government crimes are
undermining the setup of the commission.
“The
formation of the commission should be fast-tracked to deal with matters as
required,” she said.
Namory
Trawally of the Gambia Press Union said he, as a journalist, is also a victim
of Jammeh’s regime because the newspaper he was working for, ‘The Independent’,
was in April 2004 stormed by unknown state agents with guns who burnt their
newspaper printing machine worth D1,200,000.
People like him, he said, were tortured in the process.
Binta
Jammeh-Sidibeh, executive director of Women Bureau, said the TRRC is in
fulfillment of the campaign promise of the coalition government to set a
commission that will solve all the human rights violations caused by the Jammeh
government.
