Dear Mr. President,
When you appointed me Executive Secretary of the TRRC back in late January 2018, my understanding was that your government was fully and genuinely invested in addressing past human rights violations and preventing the recurrence of future human rights violations.
I believed that under your watch, no Gambian blood will ever be shed by Gambian security forces and that with your support, the TRRC will help bring justice to the victims and the families of victims of people who lost their lives or otherwise suffered gross human rights violations under the former regime. I am writing to you because today, I begin to feel that my conviction as stated above has been badly shaken and that ultimately, it will be hard for me to pretend to address the issue of gross human rights violations in an environment in which the very same violations are being repeated as evidenced by the tragic killing of protesters in Faraba Banta on Monday, June 18, 2018.
How can we purport to right the wrongs of the past when we are seeing a repeat of those very same wrongs in the present? How can we purport to seek justice for past violations when exactly the same violations are being committed in the here and now? How can we honestly say “Never Again” to gross human rights violations in The Gambia when gross human rights violations are being committed right before our eyes?
Surely, it would be grossly dishonest and hypocritical of me personally to head an institution that claims to be investigating extra judicial killings of the past regime when extra judicial killings are being committed – as in the Faraba case, right under my eyes? It is never right for police to open fire on unarmed civilians, however tense and volatile the situation. Why can’t the police use tear gas or rubber bullets or even batons to disperse protesters, rather than use life bullets to kill them? We can’t have that in the New Gambia. We cannot tolerate that in the New Gambia.
Surely Mr. President, you do understand the very difficult situation in which the Faraba killings have put me and the entire mandate of the TRRC. You understand how difficult it will be for me and my colleagues to go about the country talking about the injustice of killing unarmed protesters by the former regime while police officers have opened fire and killed unarmed protesters in the here and now. I cannot just emphasize strongly enough in what an impossible situation the Faraba killings have put the mandate of the TRRC. Suffice it to say that the Faraba incident has just made the mandate of the TRRC a million times more complicated and difficult than it already is.
The purpose of this open letter is to both express my personal outrage at what happened at Faraba, to show how it has made my work and position much more difficult and untenable and to ask that your government does something NOW to salvage the situation. I am writing to ask that those responsible for killing the victims of the Faraba shootings be identified, arrested and brought before a court of law NOW. The job you have entrusted me with is a job I love and a job I believe can help us all build a truly just, democratic and enlightened Gambia. But it is a job I cannot do when the very things we are condemning in the past are being repeated in the present. SO PLEASE DO SOMETHING NOW – and I do not mean the usual lengthy investigations. I mean BRING THOSE WHO KILLED THE FARABA PROTESTERS TO JUSTICE NOW. This is one case that must be treated with the urgency and seriousness it deserves.
I thank you for taking the time to read this open letter and for taking FIRM, UNAMBIGUOUS ACTION NOW to demonstrate to the TRRC, the Gambian people and the International Community that extra judicial killings are not acceptable and will Never Again be tolerated in The Gambia. #NEVERAGAIN!
Yours Sincerely,
Baba Galleh Jallow, Ph. D
Executive Secretary, TRRC
It is unfortunate, annoying, scary and so ugly to see how self-centered some Gambians can be. All this Mr PhD holder cares about is how difficult is job has been made by blood thirsty thugs. No word of of prayer for the fallen heroes, no word of condolence for their families, no word of sympathy for those injured, only how difficult the work of the TRRC has become.
Come on please! Go back and read what this guy said before you immaturely reply . Are you jealous that he put his qualifications at the end of the open letter. Go get one then! I see nothing wrong with what Mr PhD has said in the letter. Sorry if I offend you but you sound ridiculous to me. Have a nice day.
You better go and look in the mirror. You will see how a ridiculous person looks like. Everybody’s thoughts should be on the victims first before themselves, except the self centered like you and Mr PhD.
Reading your opinion is painful and I can tell that your level of education is very low ! Go back to school you fool. They said never argue with a fool because the people might not notice the difference. If Mr PhD was not thinking about the victims why is he calling for an immediate investigation and what is the point of his open letter. Please stop you are embarrassing yourself and the Gambia. Stop whatever you are doing and go back to school. Why can’t you handle the fact that this guy has a PhD and going places with his life whilst you are stuck in your world of jealousy, envy and ignorance. You plunker ! Again have a nice day 🙂
Baba Galleh I commend you for speaking truth to power. This is indeed pacesetting as we rarely, if ever, see an employee of the government come out in such a bold manner to address issues in the public domain. I commend you for taking the risk for possible admonition(if even subtle in nature) behind close doors, getting the sack or to be branded as a traitor for saying the inevitable truth. I say ang-njaraama!
I hereby encourage the institutions and individuals that came out during the political impasse to demand the stepping aside of Yaya, to come out once again and be the voice and strength of the people.
Make public statements because this government is disregarding the gains you stood for and rightly won. Send a signal that no government would again ever have a free ride on the misery of your people.
Stand up and stand tall!
Baba Galleh Jallow,
You have done two bold things so far:
1) standing between the PIU and the protesters when the NIA 9 were taken to court in Banjul. A stance that saw the accomplishment of the desire of the protestors to continue without PIU hindrance. BRAVO!
2) writing a strongly-worded letter to your INCOMPETENT “president”. I wonder if he will understand and extract the facts from that simple note. BRAVO!
However sincere your position might be on both issues, you have fallen short of doing the most obvious; that’s resigning from this rookie position.
This should be done to clear you from any future embarrassment and humiliation. Your INEPT administration is already tarnished and those who cannot see this are either SELFISH, UNSCRUPULOUS, UNPATRIOTIC and REACTIONARY.
Clear your conscience and maintain your integrity as a learned Doctor. RESIGN now. The Faraba Banta gruesome incidence is enough evidence.
Can you tell the Gambian people and the world what bad the President Jammeh government did in 22 years that has NOT been equally done by Barrow and his INEPT administration?
a) Solo Sandeng (the NON-GAMBIAN, who came from Guinea Bissau intruded into our benevolent society, sold drugs to our youth, secretely married to a Gambian woman and eventually claimed to be Gambia without formally acquiring our nationality) was purportedly killed by the NIA.
b) In 2017 Haruna Jatta, a bonafide Gambian citizen was cold-bloodedly murdered in his own village right in front of his family, friends and loved-ones by the invading Senegalese forces
c) April 14 2012, Students were purportedly killed by the PIU for peacefully protesting
d) June 18th, 2018, 3 youths were cold-bloodedly murdered by the PIU in Kombo Faraba Banta for protesting against the single interest of one businessman, Julakay.
e) It is said that Jammeh arrested and remanded his opponents without charge
f) Over 20 seriously wounded Faraba Banta youth and old men are currently languishing in the Brikama police gaols without charge, without medical attention.
g) And where are the NIA 9 held, who were arrested and remanded on the orders of disgraced Mai Fatty and the 11 Army soldiers held over 8 months on suspicion to topple the USELESS and INCOMPETENT Barrow administration?
Baba Galleh, my question is which side/which person are you calling to the TRRC, if you continue to stay on the position; remember no longer on merits and national interest but on personal desire?
Killings under Barrow, “definite”, according to Babu. Killings under Jammeh, “purportedly”. You need to look at yourself in the mirror, in relation to your comments about late Solo Sandeng. There is no justification for what was done to him under Jammeh’s direction.
Babu Soli
You should be ashamed of yourself if you have any resemblance of shame in you for your untruthful allegations against Solo Sandeng and your failure to acknowledge a single wrong done to the Gambian people by Jammeh and his thugs.
” In 2017 Haruna Jatta, a bonafide Gambian citizen was ”cold-bloodedly murdered” in his own village right in front of his family, friends and loved-ones by the invading Senegalese forces” ”April 14 2012, Students were”purportedly” killed by the PIU for peacefully protesting”
”June 18th, 2018, 3 youths were”cold-bloodedly murdered” by the PIU in Kombo Faraba Banta for protesting against the single interest of one businessman, Julakay”
Read the inconsistencies in your description of the various incidents you outlined below. Shame on you! shame on you Babu Soli.
Babu Soli Listen to pa modou bojang the Interview he had with fatou camara then you will realise that your ex Government criminal are still in this new Government trying to undermine everything , So Please try to find out where the truth lies not just Jumping beating about the Bush giving all False alligations and trying to write just confuse Statements just because you hate this Government. The truth here is we have some jammehs Bad Elements who are still doing there best to See this govt on their knee, but one Thing i can assure you ,is no crucks, neither heartless people will ever rule us again you carry on ranting pouring insults like Rain but that will Never Let jammeh to rule the gambia again.old man babu soli try to have a better life rather than engineering hypocricy in our society this country belongs to all gambians. I Love gambia and her People. Is jammehs thugs who are still carrying out this henrious Crime against our Youth they are trying to kill
Our feature generation but they will Never succeed. Idiots