THE GAMBIA: INDEPENDENT STILL SHUT; GM DETAILS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANJUL 000269

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/02/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KMCA GA
SUBJECT: THE GAMBIA: INDEPENDENT STILL SHUT; GM DETAILS
PRISON ABUSE

REF: A. A. BANJUL 193

B. B. BANJUL 203 C. BANJUL 249

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Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOSEPH STAFFORD, REASON 1.4 (B AND D)


1. (C) SUMMARY. The General Manager of the journal,"The
Independent", Madi Ceesay, met with DCM and Poloff on April
27 to advise us of the ongoing closure of the journal by the
GOTG and to make us aware of the torture that he and others
have experienced while in detention. Ceesay was detained from
March 27 to April 20 along with Musa Saidykan,
Editor-in-Chief of the journal. Lamin Fatty, a reporter for
the journal remains in detention. Ceesay provided photos of
his back, bearing scars that he reports came from beatings
with cables and branches. He was released on April 20 on
bond, although he has not been charged with any crime. He
does not wish this information to be made public at this
time. As of May 2, the newspaper remains closed. Embassy
will continue to press GOTG to permit "The Independent" to
resume publication as well as to ensure that abuse of
detainees is halted and those responsible brought to account.
END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Ceesay, along with Editor-in-Chief Musa Saidykhan,
was arrested and the offices of his newspaper were closed by
security forces on March 27 (ref A). Ceesay and Saidykhan
were both released on April 20 under the impression that they
could resume publishing. However, when they attempted to
re-start operations police took over their offices and
ordered everyone to leave the premises. Ceesay has pressed
various officials to be allowed to resume publication. At
this point, he is not clear on what unit of the GOTG is
blocking the reopening of the journal. NOTE: Ambassador has
raised the state of "The Independent" and its detained
personnel with senior GOTG officials on various occasions and
will continue to do so. Most recently, on April 27,
Ambassador raised this issue with Interior Minister Baboucarr
Jatta, urging that authorities permit the journal's prompt
resumption of publication and ensure due process for detained
journalist Lamin Fatty. Jatta responded "I have your message
and will look into this", but would not elaborate. END NOTE.



3. (C) Regarding his experience while in detention, Ceesay
reported that his first few days of detention were spent
incommunicado at the Banjul police station. He was then
transferred with Mr. Saidykhan to the detention cells at the
National Intelligence Agency (NIA). While being held at NIA,
Ceesay and Saidykhan were awakened in the middle of the night
on two occasions, brought to a back area of the NIA compound,
stripped and beaten with cables and thorny branches. Ceesay
also reported being shocked or stunned with an electric
device. He reported that Saidykhan's arm was broken when he
tried to escape the beatings. Regarding the motives behind
the detentions and beatings, Ceesay reports that during the
beatings he was constantly asked "Who was your source?" in
relation to a March 24 article in the "Independent" that
listed the names of persons detained in the aftermath of the
aborted coup of March 21. Lamin Fatty, who remains in
detention was the author of that article.


4. (C) According to Ceesay, a group of military officials
carried out the late-night beatings under the command of Army
2nd Lieutenant Musa Jammeh, who is currently assigned to the
Presidential Guard. Ceesay reported that the security staff
at NIA were very upset by the beatings. After Lt. Jammeh's
team would leave, the security guards would help Ceesay and
Saidykhan dress their wounds and were visibly shaken by what
was happening. Ceesay further reported that the security
guards would always document the arrival of Lt. Jammeh's team
and call their superiors on the phone to report what was
happening. NOTE: 2nd Lt.Jammeh (not a known relation to the
President) is well-known to Embassy sources. According to
other reliable sources, Lt. Jammeh serves on the President's
security detail and has a reputation for cruelty. END NOTE.



5. (C) In separate conversation with Ambassador, Ceesay
indicated that authorities' action against "The Independent"
and its personnel may have been in response to the journal's
publication - erroneously - of the name of one alleged
detainee in particular, former Interior Minister Samba Bah;
the paper subsequently retracted, with apology, its
publication of Bah's name among detainees. COMMENT. Given
what appears to be President Jammeh's determination to ferret
out all those connected in any way to the failed plot, it may
well be that authorities suspected the journal of having
secret sources in the security apparatus providing

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information -- not always correct -- on detainees and were
determined to flush out that source. The journal's hard-line
opposition to Jammeh may also have been a factor in the

BANJUL 00000269 002.2 OF 002


GOTG's crackdown on the paper. We note, in this respect,
that the country's other privately owned journals have also
publicized names of detainees, but have been allowed to
continue publishing. END COMMENT.



6. (C) "The Independent" remains closed and under guard, and
Ceesay continues to press for its opening. He is not sure
what his future plans are, but if "The Independent" is not
allowed to reopen, he will continue on with his
responsibilities as President of the Gambia Press Union
(GPU). At this time he is telling those who ask, including
reporters, that he was not mistreated while in detention,
because he has been threatened with re-arrest if he does not
keep silent. Aside from Saidykhan and Fatty, Ceesay did not
see the other detainees, most of whom are believed to be in
detention at a separate facility, Mile Two Prison. He did
report hearing what he judged to be screams of other
detainees being beaten at night.


7. (C) COMMENT: As previously reported (ref C),claims of
torture of detainees surfaced promptly after the coup plot
was thwarted March 21, and Ceesay's account serves to
document specific victims of such abuse. We will continue to
press the GOTG to ensure that abuses are halted and those
responsible brought to account. END COMMENT.
STAFFORD