Abdoulie G. Dibba
Today, April 4 2016, marks 186 days of the detention of Imam Cherno Gassama of Dasilami Mosque in Lower Fulladou West District, Central River Region, without court appearance or charge preferred against him, a family source revealed.
It was earlier reported that Imam Gassama was arrested on Monday 2 November 2015 at his residence by a personnel of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) who was accompanied by a police officer from the Brikamaba police station.
According to the family source, he was briefly detained at the police station before being finally transferred to Janjangbureh prison on the same day and where he is still detained for more than six months now.
“We are not told or aware of the reason for the Imam’s arrest and long detention without charge or court appearance,” revealed the family source.
The entire family of the detained Imam is appealing to the authorities to release their love one as they are worried about his state of health as they are denied access to him at the prison.
The long detention of the Imam without charge or bail is in violation of Section 19 Subsection (3)(b) of the constitution of the second republic which 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”.
