Citizens’ Alliance leader
By Buba Gagigo
The leader of the Citizens’ Alliance (CA), Dr Ismaila Ceesay has condemned the recent police ‘brutality’ on an unarmed civilian.
Ceesay also advised citizens to be disciplined, law abiding and follow legal processes when aggrieved.
“We condemn all forms of police brutality regardless of perpetrator or victim. We urge The Gambia police to always exercise restraint and act within the confines of the law when maintaining public order. We advise all citizens to always be disciplined and law abiding and follow legal processes where they feel injured or that their rights have been violated. Trust in the judicial process is the bedrock of a peaceful society,” he said in a brief statement on Facebook page on Friday.
Meanwhile, in a statement on Friday, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has tasked the police chief to immediately identify and prosecute his officers caught on camera assaulting an unarmed civilian during a riot.
NHRC described the actions of the police officers as ‘condemnable, inhumane, degrading’ and a ‘flagrant violation of human rights’.
The commission also said the officers ‘have violated the law and should therefore, be punished, accordingly’.
At least 4 PIU officers, during Kerr Fatou’s live coverage, were caught beating and kicking an unarmed UDP supporter.
The officers committed the act during the clash between them (officers) and some UDP supporters in Brikama at the Independent Electoral Commission’s West Coast Region office on Thursday.
The clash occurred after the commission rejected the nomination of Momodou Sabally to run for the Busumbala Constituency, citing Section 90 (1)(e) of the 1997 Constitution.
At least a senior PIU officer sustained injury on the face, scores of civilians including a journalist were hospitalized after inhaling the tear gas; and one of the unarmed UDP supporters was beaten and subsequently arrested by a group of PIU officers.
This is not the first clash between the police and the United Democratic Party supporters. In December, a viral video featured police officers expressing happiness after firing tear gas at the party supporters; which the police claimed to have opened an investigation into, but so far, the outcome of the probe is not made public.
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