By Olimatou Coker
Gala has alleged that one of its members Maimuna Bah, who was arrested and detained on Friday alongside other members while attempting to commemorate the organisation’s one-year anniversary, has gone on a hunger strike after allegedly being denied access to sanitary pads while in detention.
Maimuna has been detained at the Kotu Police Station alongside another female detainee Kaddy Jadama and Fallou Gallas Ceesay following their arrest at the West Field Youth Monument Friday afternoon.
Addressing a press conference Saturday at the National Youth Council, activist Kemo Fatty alleged that the detainees are being held under “deplorable” conditions.
He said Maimuna was denied access to her sanitary pad, in violation of her fundamental feminine rights.
Fatty accused the government of weaponising and politicising state institutions to silence dissent, free speech and freedom of assembly.
He called on the government to unconditionally release all detainees while calling on politicians, traditional and religious leaders to come out and condemn “government’s persistent human rights abuses”.
Rights group, Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice also raised concerns about the condition of the detainees stating that access to them has now been severely restricted, with heavily armed police officers in riot gear barricading the gates of Kairaba Police Station.
It said at the Kotu Police Station, the two female detainees Kaddy and Maimuna along with their male colleague, Fallou Gallas are also being held in “deplorable” conditions as their detention cells are infested with bedbugs and cockroaches.
EFSCRJ said these young people are neither terrorists, armed robbers, nor insurgents, and therefore there was no justification for the “excessive” restrictions and intimidation being imposed on them.
When contacted, Police Spokesman Modou Musa Sisawo declined to make any comments on the matter saying he will get back to us in due course.
