Gambia’s Justice Minister Abubcarr Tambadou today announces the releasing of three soldiers, who admitted before the country’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) for having committed gross rights violations during Jammeh’s regime. The soldiers had admitted to taking part in the murder of Journalist Deyda Hydara, the massacre 50 West African migrants mistaken for rebels, two Gambian Americans, among other killings. They would be released, pending the outcome of the TRRC proceedings. Tambadou made the announcement at a press conference in Banjul.
Tambadou clarified that the three soldiers: Lieutenant Malick Jatta, Staff Sergeant Omar A Jallow, and Staff Sergeant Amadou Badjie have not been released on Amnesty.
” Let me clarify from the onset, that the recommendation to release the three men is not an amnesty as some claim. That is totally false. It is only the TRRC that can recommend amnesty in appropriate cases. At this point, the objective of the release is to put the three men in a similar situation as those who have appeared at the TRRC and admitted to participating in human rights violations and abuses.’” Said Tambadou.
The three perpetrators had been held in military barracks for over a year. Tambadou says the TRRC would make its recommendations at the end of its proceedings before cherries could be made.
“The decision to recommend the release of the three men, who have been in custody for over two and half years now, has not been an easy one for me especially considering the victims and their mourning families. But I cannot shy away from making decisions because they may be unpopular. I have a responsibility that compels me to consider all relevant factors in making decisions. On this occasion, I have come to the conclusion that it is in the best interest of our country and the victims to release the three men after their testimonies at the TRRC,” said the Justice Minister.
“Let us just pause for a moment and think about this: without the revelations by these three men, we probably would never have established the facts about which they testified on a first-hand account basis. We would have continued to rely on second hand or even third hand accounts. These three men have so far provided us with the most chilling details about several incidentsunder former President Jammeh. They were encouraged to assist this country, particularly the victims’ families, find answers that have eluded us for many years, and they voluntarily did so. There are others in detention who are still refusing to assist us establish the truth and it will be unwise to treat those who have assisted us the same way. The cooperation of these three men has been very critical to the TRRC processand this should be recognized,” he added.