By Mustapha Jallow
Mr Seedy Jaiteh, a former employee of the state telecommunication company, Gamtel/Gamcel, is still languishing in detention for 629 days today without being charged or released.
According to a close family source, Mr. Jaiteh was arrested in November 2010 and detained at National Intelligence Agency (NIA) headquarters in Banjul for days before being released. He was later arraigned at the high court and convicted on 20 October 2012 and was released in February 2014 after serving his jail term. He was again rearrested by the members of NIA at his home in Manjai Kunda on 27 August 2014 and since then he has been held for 629 days.
The source disclosed that the family was initially allowed to take food to him at the NIA Banjul office but after few days this was stopped as Mr. Jaiteh was said to have been transferred to the Mile Two central prison in the outskirts of the capital, Banjul.
According to the family, since Mr. Jaiteh’s transfer to Mile Two prison on 3 September 2014 to date, they have neither seen nor have access to him.
The source revealed that they have been making several attempts to visit him at the prison but officers would not allow them to see him.
The source also revealed that the family was expecting him home when the president announced on 22 July last year that he was going to release some detainees but were totally disappointed when he was not among those freed.
“In March 2016, we re-visited the prison again to appeal to the authorities there to allow us access to him but to no avail and this is really worrying as we do not know his state of wellbeing or what offence he allegedly committed to warrant this punishment,” she said.
