(JollofNews) – The death has been announced of Lamin (Lang) Marong, national deputy organising secretary of the Gambia’s United Democratic Party (UDP).
Mr Marong who has been an active member of the UDP since its inception in 1996, died on Monday at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFTH) in Banjul where he was receiving treatment for an illness he contracted while in detention at the country’s Mile Two Prisons.
He was deputy to the late Solo Sandeng with whom he was arrested with last April for taking part in a rare but peaceful protest against the former regime of President Yahya Jammeh. After their arrest at the busy Westfield Junction, the pair and other UDP members were taken to the feared National Intelligence Agency’s headquarters in Banjul.
While in detention, they were subjected to long hours of sustained torture including beatings and kicking by security officers resulting in the death of Mr Sandeng.
After months of detention, Mr Marong was found guilty for conspiring to commit felony, unlawful assembly, riot, incitement of violence, riotously interfering with traffic, holding a procession without a license and disobeying an order to disperse from an unlawful procession . He was sent to Mile Two Prisons were he was subjected to inhumane treatment and denied access to medical facilities. He was however released in January following the defeat of Mr Jammeh in the December 2016 election.
Shortly after his release, Mr Marong’s poor health took a turn for the worse and he was admitted EFTH where he took his last breath.
A statement from the UDP secretariat said the party is not only grieving at the passing of a tremendous individual but also for the loss his family suffers and the entire country.
Rest in Peace. Another victim of Yahya Jammeh.
RIP. A reminder that whatever differences as to the course of action the coalition need to take, juxtaposed to the innocent lives lost and sacrifices made, we are grateful to the people who served as catalyst for change. They have paid the ultimate price to see us freed from bondage. Their families may never gain a material benefit from their pioneering resistance. Hence we salute the fallen heroes and remember them in our prayers. We also must- across party lines- acknowledge their tremendous contribution in unmasking Jammeh and laying the crucial foundation for future activism should we face a similar demon.
Gambia owes his family///
My sincere condolences to all.
Let us never forget there names and sacrifice.
Rest in peace another jammeh victims
Needless death, when will we ever learn that most of the time all deaths in the Gambia are premature and needless, and put our wranglings together and our all-for-nothing greed, to one side to ensure that one one, but no on e dies a needless death in tat country. Just because someone is sick does not follow that he has to die, but for the Gambia, even in this era of medical
break-throughs, mere illness most times feels like a sure death sentence!
It does not have to be that way!r
A hero has indeed fallen. May his soul rest in peace and may the Almighty protect and bless those he left behind.
May he gentle souls rest in peace a hero has fallen another victims of jammeh may Allah bless you janatul firdauss.
May Allah (swt) grant him His mercy. Sincere condolence to his family.
May his soul rest in eternal bliss. This is why we should all approach the issues in the Gambia with objectivity and less sentimentality, but caringly. Because behind all the headlines lies terrible human tragedies. Some of us may be able to move on from that headline to the next headline but there are people who cannot because they are living the nightmare behind the headline. We should all condemn the people who commit heinous crimes against innocent people with a singular voice irrespective of who they may be.
It’s as if no one ever cared about the lives of those freed political prisoners. They should have had access to advanced medical examination systems since no matter the cost.
May Lang’s soul rest in perfect peace. Amiin.
May his soul RIP. Lang’s death is preventable and premature and Yahya Jammeh and his thugs must be held responsible. This is homicide and should be investigated by the proper authorities as such. The physical and psychological torture Mr Marong endured during his detention is the proximate cause of his death. The families of those that suffered and those who died as a result of Yahya Jammeh and his collaborator, supporters and subordinates actions must be allowed to seek redress in civil actions.