Imam Alhaji Ousman Sawaneh was detained on 18th October 2015. He has been kept under detention without trial for 11 days. The constitution does not want any sovereign person to be treated as someone who is guilty before being tried. This is why it forbids detention without court appearance. What more could a person get from a person after 72 hours in custody unless one wants to utilise long detention to pressurise the person to confess under duress.
After the release of many prisoners many people were under the impression that detention without trial and disappearance without trace would be a thing of the past.
It is surprising to many that the old habit has refused to die. Section 17 of the constitution imposes a responsibility for the executive and its agents to promote the upholding of fundamental rights and freedoms. Will they obey or disobey the dictates of the constitution? History will give its verdict.
