The commissioner of Jangjanbureh Prison, Baboucarr Jatta, has said that Mile Two prison was not fit for purpose and should be replaced by a new prison.

Jatta highlighted the deplorable conditions of Mile Two prison adding that it was not habitable and that the conditions were very inhumane. He said he won’t allowed animals to be “tamed in the prison.”

He pointed out that Mile Two Prison was located in a swampy area and near a dumped site that was highly infested with mosquitoes and rodents.

He urged the National Assembly to come up with a new Prison Act adding that the current Prison Act was enacted during the colonial era .

Prison Commisioner Jatta made these statements during his testimony before the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission that was investigating alleged human rights abuses by the Jammeh regime.

He gave a harrowing account of the treatment of political detainees at Mile Two in the aftermath of the 22 July 1994 coup.

Jatta, who was a prison medic at the time of the coup, said he treated many detainees mostly soldiers who had injuries consistent with torture.

He said the detainees had injuries on their bodies and needed treatment, and he had to treat them in their cells because the prison was in lockdown.

Jatta further said that they were strictly warned about taking the detainees to the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) for medical treatment.

He revealed the names of the high profiled political detainees as Pa Sallah Jagne, the former inspector general of police in the Jawara government and his deputy, Ebrima Chongan, Captain Mamat Cham, RSM Jeng, Kebba Ceesay, former director of the National Security Services (NSS), Lt. Alagie Kanteh and Captain Samsideen Sarr.

Jatta disclosed that he wasn’t present at the night Lt. Sana Sabally and other junta officers came to the security wing to torture the detainees and terrorised them with mock execution. He only knew about the incident after Chongan and some prison officers informed him.

He said he observed that Kebba Ceesay, Captain Samsideen Sarr and Pa Sallah Jagne had psychological traumas, adding that Samsideen Sarr refused to eat for several days.

Jatta also revealed that he treated Lt. Sana Sabally and Lt. Sadibou Hydara after they were arrested and brought to the security wing of Mile Two by Lt. Edward Singhateh and his group.

He said Lt. Sana Sabally and Lt. Sadibou Hydara came with health conditions, adding that Sadibou Hydara told him that he had high blood pressure and Sana Sabally complained of headaches.

Jatta revealed that another detainee, Alieu Bah, who was in a poor health, had to be kept at the prison infirmary and medical doctors were brought in to treat him.

He said Alieu Bah was vomiting blood and that it was Bah who told him that he was brought with Basirou Barrow to Mile 2 Prison and thereafter Barrow was taken to Yundum Barracks were he was killed.

Jatta said that Bah also told him that Basirou Barrow had lost his teeth as a result of the beatings.

He said another detainee, Lamin E. Manneh was having unusual whitish discharge with blood from his ear, adding that his eardrum was damaged as a result of gun shots near his ear and beatings.

Jatta disclosed that most of the detainees had difficulties with walking after being tortured and that Sulayman Sarr who was shot in the leg suffered the most with his mobility.

He revealed that Yahya Drammeh, a detainee who was vomiting blood, died in custody despite the best efforts of doctors to save him.

Jatta said he first treated Alieu Bah as a detainee in the 11 November 1994 coup attempt and later as a detainee in the 1997 Kartong attack.

The prison chief also highlighted the deplorable conditions of the prisoners and said their treatments were inhumane.

“Their physical health was very bad. The food was terrible. There was a common disease called Beri Beri caused by lack of adequate protein in their diet. They normally developed swollen feet, faces even their stomachs were swollen.”

Jatta revealed that The Gambia Prison Service was faced with series of challenges including poor housing and welfare of prison officers, poorly paid, the lack of training for prison officers and classification of prisoners.

He disclosed that some prison inmates were involved in homosexual acts inside the prison.

He said before the 22 July 1994, the prison rules were adhered to when dealing with prisoners. He said all the prisoners they processed were either convicted or remanded adding that changed after the coup.

“Many people were detained unlawfully under the pretext of Executive Orders.”

He said the conditions of the prisons remained the same and that the prison experienced overcrowding after the coup.

Prison Commissioner Jatta is the eighth witness to testify before the TRRC and the hearing continues in Banjul.