Fatou Camara tells Switz court of her gruesome torture at the NIA

By Team Outpost

Fatou Camara, one of the victims of April 14th peaceful protest has told the Federal Criminal Court in Switzerland about the gruesome torture meted out on her at the NIA.

In her testimonies on Wednesday, during the eight sittings of the on going trial of Ousman Sonko, former Interior Minister for his alleged role in the human rights violations committed under the former regime of Yahya Jameh. 

In her testimony, Fatou Camara told the court that she was assaulted by some PIU with a nasty slap on her face during the protest at Westfield. 

“I was bundled into an open truck at the PIU with some other senior police officers, including Yankuba Sonko, then the Inspector General of Police and Yankuba Colley, former KMC Mayor together with the former Interior minister Ousman Sonko,” she told the court.

Under the instructions of Ousman Sonko, Fatou told the court that they were moved from the PIU  to the Mile2 Prison.

Fatou said she was picked with others from their cells one late night at Mile2 and taken to the notorious NIA torturing grounds where the whole NIA ground was full of yellings everywhere. 

“That alone was so fearing. Some people were tortured and we could hear them shouting,” she said.

She said she found Sonko, Lang Marong, Fatoumatta Jawara among others. 

She cintinue: “At the NIA my head was covered with a plastic bag and i was carried into a room where I was placed on a bed. One Harouna was called and asked to bring a pipe. I was asked to open my mouth , and I refused. I was subjected to more severe beatens until I fainted,” said Fatou Camara. 

Asked who were beaten her, Fatou said “my head was already covered by this plastic bag and could not know,” she said.

Camara continue to say that she sustain injuries and later got her treatment in Russia, after her ordeal. 

Asked about the political and human right climate of the country, Fatou replied “there was no democracy in the country under Jammeh, and human right was not in existence at all,” she described. 

Fatou was asked by the Attorney General Lawyers about the conditions of the cells, Fatou replied “The cells were very poor and no medical attention was given and having no access to relatives or lawyers”.

She went on to informed the court that at a time Lawyer Darboe and his team were also arrested, he (Darboe) realised that  most of the supporters of the United Democratic Party (UDP) that were in prison do not have any mattresses.

 She further added that Darboe threw his mattress  through the window to protest in solidarity with other  inmates. 

Fatou said she has no acces to Lawyers, and she hold the interior minister wholly and solely responsible.

Asked by the Prosecution Lawyers to describe Nogoi Njie, Fatou told the court that she was a very healthy woman at a time of her arrest.

 She said years later after her release Nogoi Njie's health became deteriorated and could not survive the tortures. 

Sonko's lawyer asked her if she can tell what was the role of the Interior Minister, Fatou replied “he is responsible for all the internal security in The Gambia,”.

Asked if she know Ousman Sonko, Fatou then replied “yes I know him since when he lived in Dippa Kunda,” she said.