We have been checking the archives to find a letter written to the ministry of the Interior in 1984 by Halifa Sallah concerning the horrible situation they found at the Central Prisons. Once it is found Foroyaa will produce it verbatim. Should anybody have this letter Foroyaa will be interested in seeing the copy?
The history of torture in The Gambia ought to be a subject of study. We have come across incidents where accused persons have been kept in a cell where there was no bedding for the accused person and where water was poured so that the person will not be able to lie down. We have come across cases where oil is applied on a person’s buttocks and a flame was brought close to it so that it would be burnt to make it impossible for the person to sit down until the burns were healed. We have come across cases where hands were tied close to the knees and the person hung like a bat with a rod put between the hands and knees and electric shock applied to genitals. We have come across cases where 18 x 6 blocks were placed on one’s feet while the person was hung. We have come across cases where a person was tied to a truck, put on the truck which moves with speed and allowed to drop and be dragged by the transport. We were aware of cases where small pebbles were put on the floor and a person asked to kneel on them until confession is extracted. We were aware of cases where a person was asked to kneel on a bicycle wheel until confession was obtained. We can go on and on to depict the cruelty which a human being can inflict on another human being.
All those who have perpetrated torture against their fellow human beings should repent. The nation should not live in the past. It should learn from the past to be able to shape the future. Apparently the young people need to know the truth and Foroyaa is checking its archives in order to give a proper recording of what happened.
