He said that Jatta put off his uniform and started smocking cigarette and then placed a lit cigarette on his left shoulder. According to him, the cigarette burned his skin – a burn he still suffers from. At some point, he noted, Jatta stabbed him with a bayonet on the hand and severely hit with the butt of a pistol on the head.
Ismaila Jammeh also a jungler, he said had quickly intervened, and Jatta told Ismaila that he was executing an order. Sanyang recalled that Jatta didn't stop torturing him, until he sustained injuries and blood was raining from the wounds into his eyes and on his uniform.
While he was escorted to the NIA, Jatta attempted to kick one of his (Sanyang) legs from the ground, but Jatta missed and fell to the ground.
“The torture could not stop. They also took me to the graveyard torture ground. Beating me in all kinds,’’ he said.
In his cross-examination, Correa’s lawyer, Jared Westbroek took the witness through the testimonies he provided to TRRC, interview by TRIAL International and U.S. authorities.
“I tell them the truth because they were looking for the truth,’’ Sanyang said.
“You were ordered to assassinate Deyda when you were chief of the commandos at the state house?”
He responded in positive. “Do you think it was going to be legal to kill Deyda?’’ It was not legal to kill him, Sanyang replied.
“But you asked President Jammeh to get police arrest him (Deyda) instead; but Jammeh called you over to his car and told you (we must) do this?” He responded again in positive, saying he still maintained his stance that he was not going to assassinate journalist Deyda.
Due to this, Sanyang said General Saul Badjie—one time feared man in Jammeh’s regime—attempted to eliminate him (Sanyang) through a crash, where he suffered injuries and Badjie was not injured.
Initially, Sanyang said junglers were part of the Gambia Armed Forces and he had trained some of them, specifically on weapons, rescue operations and tactics.
“Did you train Correa?” He responded in positive. He added that while serving at state-house, he headed the commando company and also was the training instructor and physical prosecution of President Jammeh.
According to him, there was a specialised team unit at the state house—consisting of the commandos and the junglers.
Correa’s attorney further brought to his attention about the presence of another unit at state house referred as rangers, which Sanyang said he knew as a unit that was guarding President Jammeh’s farms in Kanilai and other areas.
Sanyang was also asked whether he could remember opposition members of the United Democratic Party being arrested in 1997 and shutting down of Citizen FM Radio. He also replied in positive.
“Do you know who was Lamin Waa Juwara?” The witness said he got to know him as a politician.
“President Jammeh ordered for Juwara’s assassination as well?”
State prosecutor, Giffin stood up and objected that claim, viewing it as a speculation, while Sanyang maintained that he did not have any knowledge of that.
