Ebrima Barry's tragic death is a salient reminder to all of us that the Gambia security forces (army, police, fire service, etc.) need to be harnessed. There are many documented incidents where Gambian police and military personnel have arbitrarily detained, tortured, and/or killed people with impunity. This behaviour is not unique to the security forces under the APRC government. In October 1992, three police officers of the Brikama Police Station were charged with "assault occasioning bodily harm" of Mamudu Jarju, who had been detained for an alleged criminal offense. Mamudu Jarju, who had had an altercation with his employer over missing funds, was arrested by some officers of the Brikama police and tortured to death. Two of the accused officers were sentenced to three years of imprisonment, while the third was acquitted. Help me Albany! Following the public outrage, the then DPP filed an appeal against the ruling, which was considered too lenient. In December 1992, in a dramatic reverse ruling, two of the officers were sentenced to death. I wonder whether they're still at Mile Two Prison. The Gambia security forces have their own Justin Volpes and Kenneth Bosses, and such incidents from the Brikama security forces are beginning to sound like the NYPD. Let's see what the courts will do this time. Hamadi. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------