The trial of the United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Lawyer Ousainou Darboe and Co is scheduled to continue at the High Court in Banjul tomorrow 16th May 2016. In the previous sitting, Antouman Gaye and Hawa Ceesay-Sabally the counsels for the defendants, argued the incoherency of the Public Order Act to section (25) of the constitution of the Gambia. Consequently, the case was adjourned for the court to decide whether or not to stay its proceedings on counts 5 and 6, and refer the two counts to the Supreme Court for a determination as applied for by the accused persons, according to reports in the Point Newspaper. The bogus charges included Seven (7) counts of unlawful assembly, riot, incitement of violence, riotously interfering with vehicles, holding a procession without a permit, disobeying an order to disperse from an unlawful assembly and conspiracy to commit felony, which all the defendants pleaded not guilty.
However, Gambians especially youths are urged to come in large numbers to attend the court sitting as well as demonstrate their anger and disgust against Dictator Jammeh’s tyranny. The recently beaten to death of a protester called Musa on Monday 9th May and the arrest of 45 women, of whom 6 were charged should act as a motivation to continue to fight and take our country from dictator Jammeh. The dictator is cornered and isolated not only by Gambians but the international community as well. We are winning, however, unless we keep up the resent pressure against Yahya Jammeh he is not ready to learn his lessons as he is a very ignorant and arrogant individual who needs to be up to for him to realise that the country belongs to Gambians.
According to the former Gambia Foreign Minister, Mr Sidi Sanneh, it is believed that the Guinean President Alpha Conde, was reportedly blunt and does not mince his words as he told Jammeh to consider stepping down and release Darboe and others immediately. Meanwhile, the European Union parliament is also said to be seriously considering sanctions against Dictator Yahya Jammeh and his enablers and this is something activists like Alieu Ceesay and Dr Amadou S. Janneh has long been calling for.
Furthermore, Fatou Camara a Gambian exiled journalist who lives in the US had an off the record interview with the presiding judge of the Darboe’s case, Justice Marc Ombala Ateba. Mr Ateba’s comments appeared to insinuate that Yahya Jammeh is behind all these political crisis in the country and he is also constantly giving instructions to the judiciary as to what to do and decided the outcome of cases of this magnitude. The Judge’s comments also appeared to suggest that Darboe and Co have no case to answer, but because of Jammeh’s orders, he cannot execute his rulings according to the facts but according to Jammeh’s dictates. Mr Ateba even when on to say to Fatou that “it’s a shame that a senior Lawyer like Darboe is being treated like this,” so as a result, the UDP need to participate in the inter-party dialogue and if the political parties agree on something concrete then the state can withdraw the case from the court.
Gambia Voices 