Thanks again for making these astute observations about the current turmoil
going on back in Gambia. I also read the piece on 13 Badjie's revelations
before the commission. I was initially very excited when I saw those reports
last week. I said to myself: ah! Ha! Here we have a senior security official
admitting under oath that the massacre was premeditated. Top government
officials (including Yaya) knew about the demonstration before hand, they
met to discuss the issue and Yaya ordered them to make sure that the
students were dispersed 'by any means necessary'. If the security forces
have to shoot children, so be it. To get ready for the massacre, the
security forces went ahead and loaded their AK47s with live ammunition and
set out to hunt down students with their 'shoot to kill' orders at the backs
of their minds. As you can see, this is very damning testimony made under
oath. But then I woke up to reality and realized that we were dealing with a
toothless commission. Even if Badjie's testimony was taken in the most
negative light, it still brings us back to square one. What can the
commission do about it. Badjie can go before a real court where criminals
are punished and deny these statements. Some of the people 13 Badjie
implicated have since been promoted to higher offices by this illegal
government. Some of the alleged criminals like the interior secretary have
already been before the commission and were treated with kid's gloves. Do
not be surprised if and when a report comes out, the commission sides with
people like the interior secretary at the expense of 13 Badjie. Even though
what 13 Badjie said made more sense, I would be very surprised if that is
what is going to carry the day. These people are not interested in justice.
Badjie's testimony said it all. He traced it from the preparation stage to
the execution. The only thing left out was naming individuals that pulled
triggers. The government is trying very hard to cover this thing up. All
these phony officers coming up saying that they can account for the
ammunition they gave to their men. We all know that the bullets did not come
from creatures in the sky. Criminals always lie about their culpability. It
is no surprise that these officers would lie about these things. But I must
warn them that there are no amount of lies that can withstand the rigorous
cross-examination of a brilliant prosecutor. These people will be child's
play to a real prosecutor. We only regret that the commission is giving them
an opportunity to destroy the evidence some more and rehearse their lies.
Your observations about Saja Taal are also quite apt. The man is a moron.
One has to be if one can be taken for a ride by Yaya. Some former Yaya
supporters woke up to that fact recently and can be heard on G_L kicking and
screaming that the moron extraordinaire (Yaya) never took them for a ride.
We know better. Taal will also face his stupidity in due course. I would
like to tell both Taal and Jobe that just last week, in Washington DC, we
had someone who was charged with murder and then granted bail. The case
involves an old man that shot his sister. Before they go around making silly
generalizations further making themselves the laughing stock of decent
folks, they should get their facts right. The actions of this illegal
government regarding this Basse ambush and the subsequent murder charges and
bail just reminds me of the story about nurses that poison their patients in
order to be able to perform heroic acts of resuscitating the patients. They
put the UDP people in jeopardy just to boast about granting them bail. These
people are sick.
Finally, we just want to remind the commissioners that we are watching them.
They will be responsible for the evidence that is destroyed during the
course of their toothless commission. They would also go in history as
contributing to the delaying/denial of justice to our children that were
massacred on April 10 and 11. In their examination of the criminals that
come before the commission to deny their culpability in this matter, the
commission should always remember the story of the Queen whose husband was
slain by one of his opponents. The person that butchered the King
encountered the Queen crying over the lifeless and blood-stained body of her
husband and asked the Queen to forgive him and say that he (the butcher) was
not responsible for the death. The Queen replied that she cannot say that
the killer (with bloody knife in hand) did not slay her husband unless the
man was going to tell her (the Queen) that her husband was not dead. So if
these criminals cannot come before the commission and convince us that our
children were not killed on April 10 and 11, we should not allow them to
come in and lie about the cause of death or deny responsibility.
KB
>From: Asbjørn Nordam <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: others who are charged with murder are kept in the cells
>Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2000 09:51:20 +0200
>
>Friends,
>Even I don´t think that there will ever be any report on the april
>incidents, or the truth be found, it still upsets me every time I see
>something in the gambian news.
>
>I think that DR TAAL takes too much in his mouth, when he, as referred in
>Daily Observer, says, that "others who are charged with murder are kept in
>the cells". I think that the authorities was very quick to take Mr. Darboe
>and 24 of his supporters after the rally-incident, while at the same time
>the authorities has still not charged a single person for the april
>-incident-killings. Even the authorities were prepared, and present at all
>places, where incidents took place. ( Mr. Badjie´s report to the commission
>reported in The Independent)
>
>It cries to heaven of lack of competence in the military/police, that
>there
>has not been one single person taken and charged for those days killings. I
>have said it before and I repeat, I can not understand it, but I conclude
>to
>myself, why it is so. There were so many witnesses, but up till now not a
>single person is charged.
>If the military or paramilitary had the situation under control (they took
>many students to the headquarters), why is it that they had no success in
>taking a single person with his weapon, if they saw such a person.
>Specially
>when it´s reported from leading officers, and stated by the president, that
>it was people among the students or the crowd who fired their weapons and
>killed, even weapons stolen, or given from Casamance-rebels. Why is it that
>the leading officers all report for the commission, that they after the
>operation counted all bullets and not a single was missing, nor a weapon
>reported stolen. If they have seen people among the masses shooting, why is
>it they did not bring them in, or can give any evidences of the bullets
>used. They (the military/police) have not yet presented (as far as I have
>read) any cartridge cases collected on the places. How will they be able to
>support their own theory, that it was the students, or people from the
>masses, that fired and killed ? That is why I still believe, that the
>evidences we got from the first day in april, that it was the military that
>shoot and killed, are still the most valid.
>
>Then I ask DR TAAL, "why is no military put in the cells and charged with
>murder". If Mr. Badjie is right, which I believe until other things are
>proved, the order was, that the students should be dispersed by all means.
>It´s a strong evidence, because now we hear directly, that the men who
>fired
>did it on an order given from the former Director of IG. "By all means" is
>understood by the private soldiers on duty as said, "by all means".
>
>Still comments from Asbjørn Nordam
>
>From The Independent
> >"Mr. Badjie, who confirmed seeing paramilitary and other security men
>looking
> >like armed soldiers during the demonstrations, also told the commission
>that he
> >spoke to the Commissioner of Police Operations but was informed that the
>former
> >DIG wanted the students dispersed by all means. Mr. Badjie acknowledged
>that
> >the security forces were armed with AK 47 rifles and that he later
>learned of
> >the casualties when he advised one Inspector Jobe to visit the mortuary
>and
> >assess the wounded for possible advice."
>
>
>Daily Observer Published 07/28/00
> >"DR TAAL REBUTS DARBOE
> >
> >"On the denial of permit to the UDP to hold rallies, Dr Taal said, "The
>UDP is
> >being denied permits by the police due to the fact that the party has not
>met
> >the conditions of the permit. The police told him that any time you and
>your
> >party can stop abusing and insulting people at rallies as stated by the
> >conditions of the permit, you (Darboe) will be issued a permit to hold
> >rallies."
> >
> >"Dr Taal added that Mr Darboe and 24 of his supporters are already in
>court
> >charged with murder. He said even though the accused have not yet been
>found
> >guilty, they should not make the case a talking point at UDP rallies as
>it
> >could have prejudicial effect on the court."
> >
> >"Look, others who are charged with murder are kept in the cells, but
>instead,
> >he is out because he is an opposition leader, but he cannot be allowed to
>hold
> >political meetings for the time being," he said."
>
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