Ebrima, thanks for the interview of Ousman Sillah. This comes as a surprise
to none of us. This time it is Ousman Sillah, who is next? Gambians better
wake up and realize what time it is. At this rate, they'd wipe us clean one
by one. We should stop being afraid and stand up for our right to live
without fear, intimidation, or murder. Each of us must not ask what we can
do, for we should be doing something and not just lament. Waa is just
sentenced to six months and we are just going to let that slide. Dumo is
still held illegally and Gambians are still sitting. Those that are silent
needs to speak up. Those that are active and outspoken keep it up. Those
that are afraid, I say to you, join your brothers and sisters and be
counted. We have to get this cancer, but we cannot do it by just sitting
down and minding our business and there is nothing to be ashamed of in
fighting for your rights. None can break us unless we agree to be broken.
Chi Jaama
Joe Sambou
>From: Ebrima Ceesay <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Lawyer Ousman Sillah speaks out
>Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 21:20:15 +0000
>
>Note: My apologies for not sending this interview earlier. I am still
>recovering from pneumonia, and this has delayed me.
>
>I also apologise in advance for all the questions you wish that I had asked
>Lawyer Sillah, and didn’t. One of the problems of a telephone, rather than
>a face-to-face interview, is that they tend to be less exhaustive than one
>would hope.
>
>I have given considerable thought to the naming of the alleged assailants,
>but have decided not to reveal their names in this article. Until we have
>definitive proof – or a successful identity parade – then it is best to
>keep
>to the facts, rather than circumstantial evidence or hearsay. Most of us
>are highly convinced that Edward Singhateh is deeply involved in the case,
>and we have a good idea of who the actual assailants were. The Gambian
>police are welcome to contact me to ask me my thoughts on the possible
>identity of the attempted murderers – but it is highly unlikely that they
>will!!
>
>(To one of my sources in the heart of the Gambian Government – forgive me
>for not naming names at this point. I did however, pass on the names you
>gave me to Lawyer Sillah). Read the Lawyer Sillah interview below:
>
>
>*******************************************************************************
>
>
>
>LAWYER OUSMAN SILLAH BREAKS HIS SILENCE
>
>
>
>"The Doctors in Senegal have now removed the bullets that were shot into me
>and have given them to my wife. I have lost one kidney and there is also a
>slight disfigurement to my face as a result of the gun shots. Although I
>have lost one of my kidney, I nonetheless thank God for sparing my life".
>
>These were the words of Lawyer Ousman Sillah, now out of hospital and
>continuing his recovery at a friend’s home in Dakar, Senegal. For merely
>carrying out his job and defending Baba Jobe in line with the ethics of the
>legal profession, Mr Sillah has paid a heavy price.
>
>Yahya Jammeh has brought lawlessness, tyranny and repression to replace the
>rule of law in The Gambia, and Ousman Sillah has been a victim of this
>wicked regime.
>
>Speaking exclusively to me in a recent telephone interview, Lawyer Sillah
>said that he had no doubt in his mind that the shooting was a
>state-sponsored act, and had been motivated by his aggressive defence of
>his
>client, Baba Jobe.
>
>"I don’t know the names of those who carried out the shooting, but I have a
>conviction that it was state-sponsored. There is a lot of circumstantial
>evidence to show that this was an attempted murder carried out by people
>acting on behalf of the state," Sillah continued.
>
>During the interview, I put it to Mr Sillah that I had been informed by a
>reliable source at the heart of Jammeh’s government, that it was Edward
>Singhateh who with the approval of Jammeh, gave the orders for the killing
>of Mr Sillah. I also told him that my source reported that after the
>shooting, Edward Singhateh had sent a soldier to the Banjul Mortuary (Dead
>House) to find out if Sillah had been killed.
>
>I gave Mr Sillah the names of the two soldiers alleged by my source to have
>carried out the attack. I am continuing to withhold the names of these two
>men from this article.
>
>Lawyer Sillah commented that it was his conviction that the state had had a
>hand in his shooting, but that solid evidence was required in a court of
>law
>to prove the case, and that circumstantial evidence would not suffice.
>
>"It was an attempted murder, but the legal elements are very complex,"
>Sillah added.
>
>Recalling that terrible night, Sillah said that on the evening of 25/26th
>December 2003, he left his home at around 10pm to go to the Pipeline road
>near the Mosque to attend the "mour" of Rugie Lowe, Malick Lowe’s daughter.
>
>"I was at the ceremony until midnight, and I left to return to my home
>opposite Marina International School in Bakau. I drove my son’s car that
>night, My own four-wheel drive vehicle was being used by my wife and the
>driver, so I took my son’s car. I was alone in the car as I drove home,"
>Sillah recalled.
>
>"When I arrived at the gate of my compound, I waited for my watchman to
>open
>the gate for me. It was then that I saw two figures coming from a pick-up
>vehicle just behind my car. The pick-up did not have a number plate, and
>was of the type used by the Gambia National Army. I have seen pick-ups of
>this type being driven towards State House in Banjul. While I was still in
>my car calling on my watchman to open the gate, I saw the figures moving
>closer to the tail end of my car. Just two meters away."
>
>"They came closer to me, while I was still sitting in the car, and I
>clearly
>saw them holding guns. The two men each had a gun. One figure was fairly
>tall, and the other was much shorter in stature. I turned my head to them,
>and saw the tall man raise his gun and direct it at me. I never came out
>of
>my car. And then the first shot came and I felt an explosion in my head."
>
>"Having been shot once, I fell in the car seat towards the gear lever, and
>as I tried to sit upright, another shot was fired at me. That shot blew up
>the right side of my face below the eye. I recall putting my hand to that
>side of my face to check what had happened. I remained slumped in the
>front
>of the car and I kept motionless. I was not aware of other shots being
>fired at me, but I did become aware that my two assailants had returned to
>their own vehicle and driven off."
>
>Here, I pointed out to Lawyer Sillah that according to my source, his
>assailants were wearing dark glasses and that they had a walkie-talkie
>machine on which they could brief Edward Singhateh on the outcome of their
>dreadful mission. Lawyer Sillah could not recall whether his assailants
>had
>a walkie-talkie or were wearing dark glasses.
>
>Continuing with his description of events, Lawyer Sillah said, "Being aware
>that my assailants had left the scene, I then struggled to open the car
>door, and I staggered into my compound. The incident had happened at the
>gate of my compound, and not inside it. I got to my house, bleeding
>profusely. I staggered onto the settee in my living room. I told my
>watchman to fetch my wife and tell her that I had been shot. My wife came
>into the room and I was rushed to the Ndeban Clinic. At this point, I was
>still conscious and I narrated my ordeal to my doctor, Doctor Faal."
>
>"I was taken to the operating theatre, and then the Chief Justice, Justice
>Gibou Janneh and some lawyers came to visit me. After a while, I was taken
>to the airport to fly to Senegal. I was in terrible, acute pain but I
>remained conscious."
>
>Asked about his treatment in Dakar, Sillah continued:
>
>"I had a successful operation in Dakar and am grateful to my team of
>doctors, especially Professor Idirissa Sillah and Dr Hobbalah, a surgeon
>specialist who looked after me very well. The bullets have been removed
>from me, and my wife has them. The doctors have told me that they have
>also
>removed one of my kidneys, leaving me with just one."
>
>Asked where exactly he had been shot, Sillah said, "I don’t know for sure.
>I felt a shot in my face. There was a bullet that had exited from my back.
>I was certainly shot more than once. I bled a lot. My condition was so
>bad
>that my watchman cried like a baby in my sitting room, while he waited for
>my wife to attend me."
>
>"The intention of my assailants was to kill me. They wanted to eliminate
>me. But God is great. I am now at my friend’s house in Dakar, and I am
>recovering fairly well. I have had the stitches removed from my face. My
>face is slightly disfigured, but my back has healed up properly. I have
>some stitches left around my stomach area. I go for a change of dressing
>every other day."
>
>Asked about his plans for the future, the veteran lawyer said, "I will be
>in
>Dakar in the short and medium term. I have no plans to go back to The
>Gambia right now. I will use this period to reflect on the future. From
>Dakar, I intend to visit the USA followed by a trip to the UK. I shall
>only
>return to The Gambia in the longer term."
>
>Questioned about whether he intends to sue the state, he replied, "I do not
>know about legal action. Who can I sue ? I have my own conviction that
>the
>shooting was state-sponsored, but in a court of law, it is necessary to
>have
>more than circumstantial evidence. I find consolation in the calls of
>sympathy I received from all parts of the world. This incident has touched
>many people and let us hope and pray that something good will come out of
>it
>at the end of the day."
>
>Asked about his relationship with his client, Baba Jobe, Lawyer Sillah
>commented, "I met Baba Jobe once, and then again at the Library of the
>Court
>house just a few minutes before the case started. A team of lawyers and
>the
>YDE Management had arranged my meeting with Baba Jobe. While representing
>Jobe, I was doing my job in line with our professional ethics. For me, I
>will defend a person regardless of his or her colour, religion, tribe,
>political affiliation or history."
>
>Asked whether he felt Baba Jobe was likely to be acquitted, and to give his
>comments on the case, Lawyer Sillah responded, "The matter is sub-judice
>and
>as such, I cannot comment on its merits or demerits at this point."
>
>Sillah did however indicate that Baba Jobe felt that he had been badly
>treated by the APRC regime, given his loyalty to Jammeh and his services to
>the APRC party.
>
>"Jobe was genuinely stunned by the actions taken against him by his former
>friends. By the way, Baba Jobe always has his personal lawyer. I was only
>to lead the criminal aspect of the case, and that was the economic crime he
>was charged with. Baba Jobe had apparently been impressed with my style of
>cross-examination."
>
>Sillah continued, "I don’t deserve an attempted murder. In fact, no-one
>does. Anyway, I am glad that people have spoken for me. People are
>writing
>on the Internet and in the newspapers, expressing their support and
>sympathy
>for me and my family. I did a lot for my country – in the Police, in the
>Judiciary and in Sports. In fact, I once acted as Acting Chief Justice of
>The Gambia. I was also the Captain of the Gambian National Soccer squad
>which last defeated Senegal."
>
>He added, "You see, as a lawyer, you defend your client vigorously
>regardless of his background and history. That is what our professional
>ethics demand".
>
>Asked about his recent meeting in Dakar with a Gambian government
>delegation
>led by the Attorney General and the Minister of Justice, Sillah said that
>he
>was never given the impression from the outset that this was going to be an
>official Gambian Government delegation.
>
>"I got a telephone call from the Judicial Secretary about the trip, and I
>was given to understand that there was going to be a delegation from the
>Judiciary – not the government. They came to visit me with the Chief
>Justice and Ebou Momar Taal, the Gambian High Commissioner to Senegal.
>They
>disclosed that they were sent by Yahya Jammeh. Well, I gave them a run
>down
>of how I felt. I am yet to hear any condemnation of this barbaric act from
>the government. Members of the Bar Association came to see me recently."
>
>Sillah then recalled, "By the way, I was driving an Audi hatchback, red in
>colour, when I was shot. This car was owned by my son, Andy."
>
>On Baba Jobe’s trial, Sillah added, "If the court in which he is being
>tried
>is a good court and a fair court, then Baba Jobe is likely to go free since
>the case of the state against him is very, very weak indeed."
>
>At this point, my interview with Ousman Sillah came to an end. It had
>lasted for more than an hour, and had obviously been distressing for the
>veteran lawyer to recall the events of that December night and the pain
>which followed on from it. I expressed my deep thanks that I had been
>given
>the chance to ask some pertinent questions, and I ended the call with
>prayers from myself and the entire Gambian community around the world for
>his speedy recovery to full health.
>
>And now, I – like you – am wondering what is the state of the police
>investigation into the attempted murder ? What are our Gambian police
>doing
>to bring the two assailants to justice ? What investigations have been
>done
>on the red Audi driven by Lawyer Sillah that fateful night ? Have the
>Gambian police asked for a return of the bullets removed from the lawyer’s
>body and later handed over to his wife, Ancha ? Are they doing forensic
>checks on the bullets in an attempt to locate the gun or guns which fired
>them ? Have witnesses to the murder attempt been sought ? Questioned?
>Re-questioned ? Have the police undertaken a search for an army-type
>pickup
>? Has any pick-up been examined for traces of blood ? Where are the
>murder
>weapons ? What make of gun(s) fired those shots ? Have the Gambian Police
>asked for further details from Lawyer Sillah during his long recovery
>period
>in Dakar ?
>
>Has the Gambian Government launched a full-scale and urgent enquiry into
>the
>shooting of one of The Gambia’s judicial luminaries ?
>
>What precisely have our police and government been doing since December
>26th
>??
>
>Well – in usual APRC-Jammeh fashion – they have been doing A LOT OF
>NOTHING.
>
>Investigations into the details of the murder attempt have ground to a
>halt.
> The government continues its witchhunt against its own criminal elements,
>and refuses to set up an official enquiry.
>
>All those avenues of enquiry which should have been followed up have come
>to
>dead-ends.
>
>Nothing is happening – except of course, Ousman Sillah is still paying the
>price in pain and distress.
>
>Fellow Gambians, it is absolutely vital that we start to lobby – and to
>lobby in earnest – for a full investigation into this dreadful crime. We
>need to be pressing the Gambian Government, the Gambian Police, the
>Commonwealth, the national and international judiciary, the Bar Association
>– everyone in fact, who could help to ensure that Sillah’s assailants and
>their pay masters are brought to justice.
>
>And let us not forget all those other crimes committed against our brothers
>and sisters which remain dusty on shelves of government inactivity. Let us
>also lobby for Gambians like Ousman Koro Ceesay, Lt. Almamo Manneh, Lt.
>Basiru Barrow, Lt. Gibril Saye, Lt. Ndot Faal. Let us lobby for good men
>like Dumo Sarho who is still languishing behind bars for a non-existent
>crime.
>
>As peace and justice loving citizens, we cannot stand back while Jammeh and
>his heinous criminals commit murder on us.
>
>We have to do all we can to bring this scandalous regime to its knees – and
>then to bring all them to the justice which they deny to the innocent
>today.
>
>May Almighty God help us in a struggle for decency and justice.
>
>Ameen.
>
>
>
>Ebrima Ceesay,
>Birmingham, UK
>
>_________________________________________________________________
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