Habibu Ceesay & Alhagie Boye
Banjul

Fifty people purported to be supporters of the opposition coalition (National Alliance for Democracy and Development) in Upper Saloum have been charged with illegal possession of Gambian documents, The Independent was informed.

The fifty were yet to appear before the courts. They were arrested during the run-up to last Thursday's by-election in Upper Saloum in which the incumbent opposition candidate Hamat Bah controversially lost the seat to Sainey Mbye of the ruling party. They were at first detained in Njau and Kaur Police Stations respectively. Reports indicated that none of the arrested 50 supporters were allowed bail. "All their Gambian documents have been seized," a source told our reporters. The people arrested are said to be from Thaiba, Bantanto, Njau, Panchang, Porli and Kerr Kodu. Speaking to The Independent shortly after being summoned, Mad Jallow, a 75-year-old man said he was born in Thaiba in 1930 and has been holding Gambian documents since 1950. "How can the APRC government of 11 years call me a Senegalese? Where are the compound taxes I was paying especially when this government came to power? I am ready to face the court because the law does not belong to Yahya Jammeh. It belongs to
 every Gambian," he angrily stated. He criticized President Jammeh for always trying to disgrace elders. "He who always tries to disgrace elders, God will for sure disgrace you," he threatened.
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On her part, Councillor Channeh Ceesay of Njau Ward expressed disgust of the behaviour of the security forces during the run-up to the by-election in the constituency.
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After describing the by-elections in Upper Saloum as neither free not to talk of its fairness, Ms. Ceesay said the police and immigration officers have conducted what she described as 'heavy handed arrest and intimidation' meted out to their supporters.

She said more than 50 people were arrested and detained in Njau and Kaur Police Station. "Their actions were very inhuman and against the principles of democracy and good governance," she said.




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