By Lamin Cham
The family of murdered Gambian journalist Deyda Hydara has greeted the life sentence of Bai Lowe, convicted of taking part in the murder as the strongest verdict possible today.
Baba Hydara, son of the slain journalist commented: “This is a milestone judgment on every level, especially with regard to the universal jurisdiction and we thank the judiciary for their tenacity and steadfastness in the delivery of justice today.
We believe that this is only the beginning, because there are many more people to be held accountable, most importantly the main perpetrator former president Yahya Jammeh, who is currently in hiding in Equatorial Guinea”.
Baba said the family is also pleased to hear the dismay from the judge about the lack of action from the Gambia Government and hope the verdict will be an eye-opener for them to take the necessary actions against the other people who are responsible.
“As a family, we are grateful for a day like today after such a long wait. We can finally start to see some positive news for a change.
We thank everyone that has been a supporter to us during this difficult time,” Baba said.
The trial in Germany is the first to be held abroad to prosecute human rights violations committed in The Gambia during the Jammeh era. In convicting Bai, the German court recognised that it was orchestrated by Jammeh as part of an overall and systematic assault against Gambia’s civilian population, in particular against opponents of the regime, including journalists.
“This verdict is a major advance for Deyda’s family in their quest for justice, and a historic day for the entire Gambian press, of which he was a tireless defender. RSF worked hard so that this verdict could be rendered, but the fight does not stop here. The real instigator, the dictator Yahya Jammeh and all his accomplices, must now be held to account for their crimes. We continue to work for his extradition from Equatorial Guinea to be tried in The Gambia or a third country as soon as possible,” said Sadibou Marong, director of RSF’s sub-Saharan Africa office.
