By Nelson Manneh
Fatoumatta Jawara of the United Democratic Party (UDP), Yesterday 13th February 2019 continued her testimony before the High Court, to recount her detention at the NIA headquarters after the 14th April UDP demonstration.
Jawara yesterday told the Court that she is thirty-three years old and has four children; that she is now a member of the National Assembly, representing Tallinding Constituency.
Jawara is the 28th prosecution witness in the ongoing criminal trial involving former intelligence Chiefs who are charged with numerous offenses ranging from conspiracy to commit the felony, assault causing serious bodily harm, murder and making false documents amongst others. They all denied wrongdoing.
In her testimony, Jawara said when she was beaten at the NIA, the people who beat her were many and she cannot indicate the number, because she was blind folded; that they beat her with a baton on all the parts of her body; that when they were beating her, she could hear them calling names and the names she can remember were one Tamba and Jabel; but that the other names she cannot remember. She told the court that the beatings did not last long and she was taking to a small room.
PW 28th Jawara said after sometime, she lost consciousness; that when she regained consciousness, she realized that she saw herself in a hospital bed. Jawara said she bled continuously and there were scars all over her body; that she could not walk.
“Where were you bleeding from?” asked prosecutor Y Senghore.
Jawara responded that she was bleeding from her private part; that the bleeding lasted for more than three months; that she did not know what caused the bleeding but prior to her detention at the NIA headquarters, she was not bleeding; that the bleeding could have been as a result of anything; that she was also bleeding from other places where she sustained injuries; that the marks of some of the wounds on her body has disappeared now because she applied medicine on them; but that she still bears some of the scars on her body.
The National Assembly Member for Tallinding Constituency, said when she was on her hospital bed, she found that she was not there alone; that she was there with Nogoi Njie, Fatou Camara, one Dr. Lamin Sanyang, one Fatou Darboe, and one Sariba; that Lamin Sanyang was the medic while Fatou Darboe and Sariba assisted him; that the two ladies, Fatou Darboe and Sariba, were there to assist Lamin Sanyang because sometimes Sanyang was not able attend to their privacy; that Fatou Darboe is a nurse while Sariba was a student.
“Do you receive any medical attention for your bleeding?” asked prosecutor Y Senghour.
Jawara responded in the negative adding that she spent two weeks at the hospital, before she was moved to a cell; that she was moved with Fatou Camara and Nogoi Njie to a cell.
Jawara said she was moved to the cell by one James who is a security personnel at the NIA headquarters; that Lamin Sanyang, Fatou Darboe, and Sariba, were aware of her bleeding; that she sustained injuries and was on a wheelchair; that she could not work because her leg was swollen and was assisted whenever she has to birth.
Continuation of Jawara’s testimony resumes on the 19th of February 2019, at 1 pm.
