Musa Saidykhan a respected Gambian journalist who was arbitrarily arrested and tortured by officers of the country’s National Intelligence Agency is currently living in exile in the United States of America. He currently writes for Kairo News and advocates for respect of human rights and freedom of expression in the Gambia.
His story of unjust torture dates back to March 28, 2006, when he was Editor-In Chief of The Independent newspaper. Saidykhan and Ebrima Manneh were separately arrested and detained by state agents in Banjul, Gambia. Saidykhan was subjected to brutal torture, while Manneh disappeared with little trace.
The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has issued judgements against the Gambia in both cases, finding the state guilty of criminally violating their rights and owing them recompense. However, the Gambia till date, is yet to comply with either ruling.
Saidykhan was taken to the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), along with the Newspaper’s managing director, Madi Ceesay and other staff members simultaneously arrested.
During his detention, Musa was subjected to cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment, including the use of torture to the point of unconsciousness, which left him severely scarred on his back, legs and arms, and his right hand broken in three places.
Musa was also held incommunicado – his family and friends all denied access – with no formal charges ever being laid.
On July 7, 2006, plainclothes officers from the NIA arrested another journalist, Chief Ebrima Manneh, with the pro-government Daily Observer newspaper, at his office in Banjul. It is believed that Manneh was arrested for passing “damaging” information to a BBC journalist during an African Union meeting, along with trying to republish a BBC story criticising President Yahya Jammeh’s coup to power as undemocratic.
During the year following his arrest, Manneh was spotted multiple times with prison police and NIA officials as he was transferred between various police stations and detention centres.
Despite these reports and overwhelming eyewitness testimony and other evidence collected by his colleagues and civil society, the government has repeatedly denied ever taking him into custody.
Both incidents occurred during a crackdown on the media following the government’s announcement of a foiled coup in March 2006. The coup was used as an excuse to arrest, intimidate and harass scores of journalists and media workers in the lead-up to national elections.
In the years that followed, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) brought lawsuits against the Gambia at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice on behalf of both Saidykhan and Manneh.
The Court found that The Gambia had violated Musa Saidykhan’s human rights and ordered the government to pay US$200,000 in compensatory damages.
In the case of Ebrima Manneh, the Gambia was ordered to release Manneh and pay his family damages of US$100,000. However, the Gambian government has yet to comply with these judgments and no reparations have been paid.
Ebrima Manneh’s fate today remains unknown.
