By Mustapha Jallow
Mr Ousman Jammeh, who had served as a former Deputy Minister of Agriculture under the regime of President Yaya Jammeh
for only 4 months, is still held incommunicado at the Mile Two Prison for 228 days today.
According to a close family source, they still do not have access to Mr Jammeh at his place of detention at the central prison.
The source said the long detention of the former deputy agriculture minister is traumatizing the family most especially his wife and mother. “The mother fell down the other day and was rushed to the hospital. She is always thinking about her son languishing in jail and not having access to him,” said the source.
Mr. Jammeh’s long incommunicado detention without trial or release is in gross violation of section 19 of the Second Republic Constitution which states that “Any person who is arrested or detained… who is not released, shall be brought without undue delay before a court of law and, in any event, within 72 hours.’’
The former deputy minister was removed from office on Thursday, 15 October, 2015 immediately after he had attended an official function in commemoration of World Food Day in Basse in the Upper River Region (URR).
Family sources revealed that it was on this same day when he received a call from someone asking him to cancel his trip and return. It was on his return that he was picked up by unidentified men in civilian clothes and subsequently detained.
