By Omar Bah
Wassa Janneh, one of the strongest and most vocal voices of the United Democratic Party in the 1990s, who is among the victims of former tyrant Jammeh’s atrocities, has said that he will only forgive former President Jammeh if he is brought before a court of law and tried for the alleged atrocities he committed.
“Any suggestion of forgiving Jammeh before justice is served in the cases of his victims will be hypocritical,” Janneh, a long time exiled UDP member said in a Standard exclusive yesterday.
The Brikama politician said he will find it very difficult to forgive Jammeh and his “gang of torturers some of whom are still serving in the government”.
“The TRRC must investigate our cases and give the truth where it is due and then we will reconcile and forget. But we cannot forgive or forget in the absence of justice. I really want justice,” Janneh added.
Recalling his ordeals under Jammeh, Mr Janneh, who was in exile in the United States, said his experience under Jammeh was like hell.
“I was arrested seven times and never taken to any court of law. I was only arrested because of my contributions to the UDP. I was arrested in September 1996 and detained for two months before I was even told why I was arrested. I had no access to a lawyer or my family,” he explained.
He said it was after two months that some NIA officers came to him and told him that he was arrested because he addressed a rally in Gunjur and accused the former president of being a drug dealer.
“The other things they told me was I organised secret meetings in Brikama and that I was also having meetings with the Guinea Bissau government to bring back former President Jawara,” Janneh said.
He went on: “There was a day I visited the Brikama Health Centre and found four children with different diseases sharing the same bed. I spoke against it and I got threatened by some security men who vowed they will eliminate me if I do not stop castigating the Jammeh administration.”
Wassa Janneh further said after going through all those maltreatments, he petitioned the NIA and the government promised to investigate the case but until the time he went into exile, nothing was done about it.
“This is why I want the current government to investigate our cases and ensure that justice is served. It is very disheartening to see the same people who tortured us going about their business without been punished,” he claimed.
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