By Aminata Kuyateh
A day after their release from police detention, members of protest group Gala have alleged they suffered “harsh treatment and intimidation” during their detention at the Kairaba police station.
The activists were arrested while attempting to commemorate the movement’s one-year anniversary at Westfield Youth Monument.
Speaking to journalists, Gala spokesperson Omar Saibo Camara said they were held in poor conditions at the station under Station Officer Yaya Camara, who he alleged, subjected them to verbal abuse and threats while in custody.
“When the NHRC investigators came to see us, we narrated our ordeal and that of those we found in detention. But apparently the station officer did not like our narration and he became even more hostile to us and repeatedly insulted us verbally,” Omar Saibo alleged.
According to him, SO Camara was very angry with their narration before the NHRC investigators and that was when he promised to charge them for common nuisance which he said was surprisingly added to their court charges.
The activists maintained that they will still go ahead with their one year commemoration this Friday at the Youth Monument in Westfield. “We will not relent in our advocacy until this country is fixed,” Saibo noted.
Hakeem Touray, Gala National Coordinator described their arrest, detention, and court appearance as unjustified, insisting their planned gathering was peaceful and lawful.
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