Yahya JammehThree men charged with sedition in the Gambia were tortured in jail and made to sign false testimonies, their lawyer said on Tuesday, after they allegedly said the president disliked the country’s majority ethnic group.
The trio – Ebrima Keita, Musa Fofana and Alasanna Jallow – could face two years in jail for allegedly saying on May 11 that Jammeh “never liked” Mandinkas.
They are further accused of saying the Gambia was “at boiling point” following a spate of protests and the death in custody of opposition activist Solo Sandeng – a fatality the government admits took place while Sandeng was under police guard after a demonstration.
Appearing in court for their defense, lawyer Abdoulie Fatty said the three men were beaten, threatened at gunpoint and forced to thumbprint confessions that were either dictated to them or written on their behalf.
A few weeks after their arrests, Jammeh threatened to “wipe out” Mandinkas in a speech, accusing them of trying to destabilize the country by joining protests organized by the opposition United Democratic Party in April.
He also told supporters that if activists dare to “go out and demonstrate in the streets, I will kill you and nothing will come out of it”, causing renewed international alarm a few months ahead of a presidential election.