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Investigators said the long-awaited investigation into the crime committed by Yahya Jammeh, the former longtime leader of the Gambia, has been postponed.
A team called the Truth, Reconciliation and Compensation Commission (TRRC) plans to hand over its findings to President Adama Barrow at a ceremony on Thursday. But the final report will now be released later, and a member of TRRC told AFP, “We are not ready yet.”
After Jame lost to Barrow in the December 2016 election, TRRC was established in 2017.
After a six-week standoff that ended with military intervention by neighboring countries, Jameh flew to Equatorial Guinea.
According to the style of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission after apartheid, TRRC heard testimonies from nearly 400 people about Jammeh’s 22-year rule from January 2019 to May 2021.
Witnesses provided state-approved evidence of torture, firing squads, rapes, and witch hunts. These evidences were usually in the hands of the “brugners” who served as Jame’s death squad.
‘Victim’s frustration’
Reed Brody, the American lawyer who called for the prosecution of Jammeh, said that the announcement of the postponement “frustrated the victims.”
The survey results consisted of 16 volumes and were originally scheduled to be released in July.
In April 2020, TRRC issued an interim report describing human rights violations under Jammeh as “large-scale, appalling and diverse”, including torture, extrajudicial executions, rape, enforced disappearance, arbitrary arrests and detentions.
TRRC has no right to prosecute offenders.
In its final report, it may recommend prosecution of the perpetrators or amnesty for those who have testified and expressed remorse, except in the case of crimes against humanity.
Jame gained power through a bloodless coup in 1994 and was re-elected many times. He was often condemned as false in voting until he was defeated by Barrow.
Barrow stated that he will wait for his report before seeking any further action against his predecessor.
After receiving the report, the government has six months to respond to its recommendations.
December voting
The postponement took place before the December 4 presidential elections that Barrow intends to participate in.
In early September, Jame’s party announced an alliance with the ruling party, a move that was condemned by regulators.
The Gambia Human Rights Violation Victims Center stated that this cooperation is a “threat to the government’s implementation of the TRRC recommendations” and accused Barrow of “abandoning the grieving Gambian citizen and returning to the arms of this murder and rape tyrant”.
Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center Academic Affairs and Research Department Director Emmanuel Quesi Anin told Al Jazeera in Accra that the reason behind the delay seems to be related to the alliance agreement.
An Ning said: “This is not just fear, but also the embarrassment and anxiety of the government. This government has ended 22 years of barbaric rule and has now reached a very disturbing agreement with the previous regime in order to succeed in the election.”
“I think it will make people feel uncomfortable. Knowing the testimony that people provide to TRRC, it is difficult for the government to make a 360-degree transformation for a government that respects human rights and the rule of law and start to provide some compensation to those who have suffered.”
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