allAfrica.com
October 24, 2001
Posted to the web October 24, 2001
Special Correspondent
Banjul

Less than a week after last Thursday's presidential elections, in which
President Yahya Jammeh emerged victorious, there has been a spate of arrests
of members of the opposition and human rights activists, as well as reported
attacks on the homes of some senior members of the main opposition party,
the United Democratic Party (UDP).
Among those arrested and detained was Mohammed Lamin Sillah, coordinator of
the Coalition of Human Rights Defenders, who is also secretary general of
the local branch of Amnesty International.
Mr Sillah was picked up from the Amnesty office in Banjul on Monday by four
agents of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), who took him to their head
office, also in Banjul.
According to Saidou Ann, the office assistant at the Amnesty office, all
that the NIA agents would tell Sillah was that he was wanted at their office
in Banjul, but they would not give him a reason.
When contacted, the secretary for the Coalition of Human Rights Defenders,
Lawyer Emmanuel Joof, said he had no idea why Mr. Sillah should be arrested.
"He was on BBC on Sunday talking about the continuous detention of some
opposition supporters and calling on the government to release them. That is
the only reason I would imagine he was arrested for," Mr Joof said.
Attempts to get further information with the NIA proved unsuccessful.
Among others detained was Dr. Momodou Manneh, a former minister in the
deposed Jawara regime and a prominent member of the revived Peoples
Progressive Party (PPP).
According to his wife, Mrs. Joko Jagne-Manneh, her husband was arrested at
their home in Tallinding, Serekunda, at about 4pm on Monday by several NIA
personnel who, she said, forcefully threw Dr. Manneh into a waiting vehicle
and drove away without giving any reasons for his arrest.
Dr. Manneh was, however, released on Tuesday evening and asked to report
back to NIA headquarters Wednesday.
Another person briefly picked up on Tuesday and later released was
independent Radio One FM proprietor George Christensen. Again, no reasons
were given for his arrest, and he was asked to report back Wednesday
morning.
On Sunday, there were reports of a series of attacks on the homes of certain
members of the UDP in Brikama, about 30 kilometers east of the capital
Banjul. Those whose homes were reportedly attacked by members of the ruling
APRC's youth wing included the UDP propaganda secretary, Lamin Waa Juwara,
UDP youth wing leader Momodou Shyngle Nyassi and PPP member Dembo Jatta.
A press release issued by the interior ministry on Monday confirmed a number
of arrests by police in various parts of the country, in connection with
some alleged unspecified crimes. The release did not disclose the names of
those arrested.





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