Musa Saidykhan narrates his torture at the NIA

 

          

By Sheriff Saidykhan

Musa Saidykhan, onetime journalist at the defunct Independent newspaper has yesterday told the Federal Criminal Court in Switzerland about the severe torture meted out on him at the former (NIA).

Musa informed the court that he was arrested on the 27 March 2006 by a group of army including some police officers at his home in Faji Kunda, and later transported to the PIU in Kanifing before taken to the NIA at night.

He said he was put in a small cell together with some of the abortive 2006 coup plotters.

Musa told the court that when he was taken to the NIA, said he was severely beaten several times and was forced to striped naked, and they applied electrical shocks all over his body including his private part. 

Musa said due to those severe beatens he has lost his right arm and sights. He said during the second beaten his right arm was completely broken down twice. 

He told the court that him and Madi were taken before the panel he could vividly see Ousman Sonko, Lang Tombong Tamba and some senior government security personnel. 

He said he has to flee the country after his release, and warned by Sonko that whatever that happened there must be kept “under the carpet”.

He said he has to flee because three people confided to him that he should flee the country because Thabo Mbeki, former South Africa President was the one who interfered in his arrest until he was release. 

He said he has to smuggled to Senegal with his six months old pregnant wife and later to America.

Asked to described the political and press condition of the country under Jammeh. 

He told the court that at the time there was decree 71 and this has quickly moved the collateral for a newspaper from 500 to 1,000 Dalasis. 

He said there was lack of press freedom completely. “The government killed journalists, media houses were burnt down detained of journalists without trial all these things have happened under Jammeh,” he told the court.