Imam Cherno Gassama Still Held Incommunicado

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AbdoulieG.Dibba

Imam Cherno Gassama of Dasilami Mosque in the Lower Fulladu, West District, Central River Region who was arrested on Monday 2 November, 2015 is still being held incommunicado detention.

The Imam was arrested at his residence in Darsilami by a personnel of the National Intelligence Agency accompanied by a police officer at Brikamaba Police Station.

According to the family Members who spoke to this reporter on Sunday, 8 November, when the Imam was arrested, he was detained briefly at the Brikamaba Police Station before he was finally taken to Janjangbureh Central Prison on the same day.

According to a family source, during the first visit to Janjanbureh Central Prison by some members of the family, they were told that the Imam is been detained there but they were not allowed to see him at that material time.

The source added that “to our disappointment, when some family members returned the following day, they were told that Imam is no longer with them”.

According to the family source, they do not know where Imam is.

The family is appealing to the authorities to grant them access to their loved one since they could not tell why he was arrested and detained.

Section 19 subsection (3)(b) states that “Any person who is arrested or detained … who is not released, shall be brought without undue delay before a court and, in any event, within seventy-two hours.”