Gambians have been left stunned at the extent of human rights abuses under the deposed despot, Yahya Jammeh, during his 22 years as leader of the West African country.
The details were unravelled at the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC) hearings on the human rights abuses during Jammeh’s rule.
The TRRC was formed to establish a “historical record of the nature, causes and extent of violations and abuses of human rights committed during the period July 1994 to January 2017” – a specific period encompassing the 22-year reign of the now-exiled president.
The hearings are broadcast daily on independent TV and radio.
From Mondays to Thursdays, sometimes for five or six hours, everyone who has a TV or radio seems transfixed.
In a bus, taxi or in offices, you regularly hear people ask each other, usually with incredulity: “Did you hear so-and-so’s testimony?”
“I can’t believe Gambians did this to other Gambians,” has become the most commonly heard statement in the country.
What the hearings have revealed, and continue to reveal, is the unpeeling of a layer of barely believable horror, and a rude awakening for the nation – forcing it to see itself in a new and often harsh light.
BBC
