Victim of Jammeh era recounts ordeal of torture, others

 

        

By Sheriff Saidykhan

Hon. Madi MK Ceesay, MP for Serrekunda West Constituency and former Executive Editor of the defunct Independent newspaper has recounted his ordeal of torture under the ruthless hands of the then (NIA) now State Intelligence Service (SIS).

Currently in Switzerland, to witness the on going trial of Ousman Sonko, Madi MK Ceesay explained the circumstances of his arrest that led to his torture.

“This is at the time of the foiled coup in 2006. So as the news of the day; all the papers were keep quite and did not write anything about it. We interviewed the late Samba Bah, former Interior Minister as among the coup plotters. We did our investigations and published the story.

 So when that happend he Samba Bah failed us. The next day him Samba drove to the office very angrily saying you guys published that am part of the coup plotters and arrested. Am getting calls from within and outside. 

So as Professional journalists we assigned him with a reporter for an interview. And he said all what he wanted to say to distance himself from the coup, and we published the story. 

That was not the only reason why they shutdown the paper. The position of the paper  was not at their test. The critical role of the paper did not go down  well with the former regime. So the regime came with a planned to say now we can clamp down on team Madi. 

So I recieved a call from one of our reporters saying Musa Saidykhan was arrested last night. And he said to me find your way out and run, don't go to the office. 

I told the reporter that I'll be the last person to do that. I said to him that tomorrow by the grace of God I'll go to the office.

The next day I went to the office and found group of men asking my name and what I am doing here. I  told them that I am Madi Ceesay and I worked here. They told me you're under arrest. They took me to the PIU headquarters in Banjul and I found all my staff there. And they later took me to the NIA” said Madi MK Ceesay. 

 The renowned award winning Journalist and rights advocate, Madi MK Ceesay made these remarks in an interview with The Freedom Online Radio

 Asked about the worrying fear of his family during the hostile period of journalism practice in the country. 

He continued: “Yes my first wife was very worried about my situations. She keep on telling me to quit journalism and seek another job. 

So I told her that I only have this work to do and to feed myself and the family. I said to her that I'll continue this job, the rest I will leave it to God. I told her also that even if i did not do this work, someone somewhere will do it. We cannot have a country without journalists, if not will be doom,” he said.

He further recounted the tortures and the degrading treatment meted out on him at the former (NIA).

“My tortures were coordinated by Musa Jammeh (alias) Malia Mungu and Tumbul Tamba were the ones that coordinated the torture. Others that tortured me physically I could not remember them, because the time of their usually torture will be around 3am to 4am. 

Everyday they took me out from my cell with heavy kicking and beatings to a place where they normally torture people. At the torture centre I was there with Musa Saidykhan. During our routine tortures we could hear loud the names of Musa Jammeh and Tumbul Tamba.

 After the second time of our torture, they took us to the reception. Him (Tumbul Tamba hold my neck and bite me leaving serious wounds. Musa Saidykhan pused him and said to him do you want to eat him. I still have the marks on my neck. 

They regularly torture us between 3am to 4am led by Musa Jammeh and Tumbul Tamba with seven torturers.

 Another time when they tortured us up to their satisfaction. Musa Saidykhan was trying to escape, and I told him what are you trying to do; he said Madi if we don't run we are going to die here. I told him where are we going to run. As he was trying to escape, he fall down through the window. 

When they heard the noise; they came and pick him up. When he (Musa) came back he was terribly tortured with serious injuries. His hands was broken two times.

 If I show you my back you cannot hold your tears.  But I thank God today,” he concluded.