By Our Chief National Correspondent Landing Badjie, Banjul.
Paid for And Commissioned by the Freedom Newspaper.

There were highly emotional scenes this afternoon at the 2nd Infantry Battallion at the Yundum military barracks, when some soldiers  and officers  of the Gambia  Armed Forces were sentenced  to various jail terms by a military tribunal chaired by Justice Agim.The militaryofficers and soldiers were accused of making an attempt on the life of President Jammeh’s administration in March of last year.Captains Wassa Camara,provo martial  at the military police, Yahya Darboe ,2nd in Command 2 Infantry Battalion of the Gambia Armed Forces, 2nd Lt.Pharing Sanyang of the Guards Battalion and Bunja Darboe,former army PRO, were sentenced to a life imprisonment while Cpt. Pierre Mendy,Lt. AbdouKarim Jah,Lt. Momodou Alieu Bah were sentenced to 25 years in jail.LanceCorporal Samba Bah and Private Alhaji Nying were each sentenced to 10-years imprisonment. Justice Agim said the prosecution had proven its case against the accused persons and therefore sentenced them accordingly.

The atmosphere at the 2nd Infantry battalion was subdued when the soldiers,officers, relatives and friends listened to the harsh sentence imposed on their comrades, relatives and loved ones.When the judgement was passed,many people, including the wives, children, relatives,friends and acquaintances of the convicted coup plotters could be seen shedding silent tears as well as crying at the top of their voices. Several women relatives of the convicts who had travelled from as far as Jarra, Janjanbureh, Kiang and the Kombos collapsed when the judghement was read out after almost seven months of hearing. The Court  Martial has since October of last year been trying  10 military officers for attempting to  overthrow the APRC government in a militrary putsch.

Their alleged civilian collaborators are still undergoing trial at the high court in Banjul.

Meanwhile,  journalist Fatou Jaw Manneh is tomorrow expected to reappear before a magistrates’ court in the Serekunda suburb of Kanifing. Ms Manneh, a pro-democracy activist and a journalist, was arrested on her arrival into thecountry and subsequenly detained at the NIA Headquarters in Banjul where she was subjected to a litany of  questioning. She was since charged with three sedition-related charges and is presently undergoing trial.

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