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GAMCOTRAP Top Brass Remanded
Tuesday, 12 October 2010 23:32
By Augustine Jatta & Abdoulie John Prominent gender and human rights activist, Dr. Isatou Touray, well known for her anti-female genital mutilation stance, has been remanded in custody.
Dr Touray, Executive Director of the Gambia Committee Against Harmful Traditional Practices (GAMCOTRAP) and her programme coordinator,
Amie Bojang Sissoho, another formidable name in gender activism here in Gambia, were remanded in custody on Tuesday after their application for bail was cancelled by the Banjul Magistrates Court.They were arrested on Monday and charged with theft. They are accused of embezzling 30, 000 Euros provided to GAMCOTRAP by a donor organization called Yolacamba Solidaridade, based in Spain, which is also very active in the battle against a practice that has a ravaging effects on the African community living in the Kingdom.
“Dr. Isatou Touray and Amie Bojang-Sissoho sometime in the year 2009, in Banjul and diverse places in The Gambia, jointly stole the sum of 30,000 Euros being money provided by the Yolocamba Solidaridad of Spainto GAMCOTRAP,” reads the charge sheet. They pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution demanded the accused be remanded in custody pending court appearance.
In handing down his ruling on the bail application tabled before the court by defense counsels, Magistrate Emmanuel Nkea emphasized that the accused persons cannot be granted bail because of their influential competence and that that can result to interference in the ongoing investigation. He therefore ordered that the GAMCOTRAP top brass be remanded for two weeks at the female wing of Mile Two Central Prisons.
He however urged the police to “expedite their investigation” and reassure the big crowd that stormed the court room of the detainees’ rights “to have access to their lawyers and family members.”
This development culminated from a complaint lodged by the Director of the Madrid based Yolocamba Begona Ballestteros Sanchez, accusing the GAMCOTRAP Executive for embezzling funds provided by her organization. With the help of some Gambians, Mrs Sanchez managed to meet the Gambian leader, Yahya Jammeh. Since then the problem has persisted with its corollary of the case taking a legal course.Sources told Jollof News that the ladies had been investigated by a panel of investigators and were absolved of all charges, only to be suddenly arrested and charged with the same offence.
Established in 1984, GAMCOTRAP has been instrumental in putting the eradication of one of the atrocious traditional practices at the centre stage of the country’s development agenda.
The Gambian government’s well known stance against human rights activists however makes it easy for some people to link their prosecution to persecution. “It is very clear that this latest court action is an extension of Jammeh’s onslaught against these women for their work,” alleged one rights activist who preferred to remain anonymous for obvious reasons.
GAMCOTRAP is well noted in the area of women and girls’ empowerment, the thorny subject of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as well as other harmful practices that affect the lives and circumstances of women and girls in The Gambia.
President Yahya Jammeh is no fan of such campaigns, and the country’s influential religious leaders who surround the president are equally openly opposed to anti-FGM activists.
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Comments
"PLEASE PEOPLE, THIS IS NOT ABOUT JAMMEH, IT WAS YOLOCAMBA SOLIDARIDAD'S MISSING FUNDS THAT WAS REPORTED TO THE GAMBIA POLICE"
You are really out of date with Gambia rule of law. Everything in Gambia is about Yahya Jammeh. You dislike these GAMCOTRAP people since then in your previous postings and you have something in common with those imam advisers to Yahya Jammeh. I also will assure that you are not at all a democrat nor a human right activist. Even a kid knows that these GAMCOTRAP people treatments by the court are not in the sphere of Gambia rule of law. Even an animal knows why. Maybe U advocates FGM and maybe delighted for their detention without trial on corruption charges while the most blatant corrupt ruler is Yahya Jammeh. This is the person u are disregarding here. I am amazed u cannot see the treatment of these anti FGM activist is not in the framework of rule of law of the Gambia. I don’t even know what type of Gambia U want?
This could go very badly wrong for Jammeh and the APRC..come the election.
Gambian women..are very very angry.
If the Spanish donar has made the complaint...and can produce evidence..then the matter is right to be investigated.
I note in the report that the visiting rights of family members and access to lawyers has been guaranteed.
Their is a clear wish that these proceedings should be commenced speedily.
All are innocent until proven guilty.
The matter therefore is one that needs the ajudication of an impartial court and a judge.
Presuming the innocence of those accused, it is in their definate interest to be completley cleared of these charges.
Therefore as difficult and as deeply concerning as this case is.
Let us not prejudge the outcome.
I do not believe those who would say The President or the VP are against the interests of women. They are at the core of there political support.
- most importantly sate house
should read
- most importantly state house
I wish someone castrates you so that your hormones don’t feed your pervert brain in your temptation and desire in small girls.
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