Close family sources have confirmed to Foroyaa that Imam Ousman Sawaneh of the Kanifing South Mosque is still being 
detained at the remote Janjangbureh prison without access to his family for 69 days today. They expressed their concern over his state of physical and psychological health in this long period of detention without release or trial.
“We are in a real state of worry about the state of his health as he is denied access to his loved ones. We don’t know about the condition in which our father is held in that remote prison and are really concern and traumatised,” lamented the son.
He revealed that they made several unsuccessful attempts to have access to him as the prison officers would not allow them to see him.
The source repeated the appeal of the family members for the authorities to secure the release of their father to reunite with his family and congregation.
Imam Sawaneh’s detention is beyond the 72 hours limits in contravention of Section 19 of the Second Republic Constitution of The Gambia.
Foroyaa had earlier reported the arrest and subsequent detention of Imam Sawaneh of the Kanifing South Mosque, who was picked up by unidentified men in civilian clothes around 10 am on Sunday, 18 October, 2015, while leading a team of workers to clear the grass in the Kanifing South Cemetery.
His whereabouts were not initially known by the family but was later traced at the NIA headquarters in Banjul.
A family source disclosed that the Imam was later transferred to Janjanbureh Prison in the Central River Region (CRR) since the 27th October, 2015 where he is still held without access to his family.
