The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubacarr Tambedou, has confirmed that the personnel of the Police Intervention Unit accused of killing protesters in Faraba Banta would be prosecuted for ‘manslaughter’ instead of ‘murder’.

Last year, the villagers clashed with police over mining activities by a private company. Two people were allegedly shot and killed by PIU personnel, while injuring many others.

During a press conference convened on Tuesday at the Attorney General Chambers in Banjul, Abubacarr Tambedou said “On the Faraba Banta PIU case, we have reviewed the Faraba Banta report and concluded that giving the entire circumstances of the event; the charge of murder should be substituted with the charge of manslaughter. The PIU personnel implicated in the killings will just be prosecuted on the basis of manslaughter.”

“I have made the decision on the basis of a review of the commission’s report on the circumstances surrounding the events that manslaughter is the most appropriate charge under the circumstances and not murder,” he said.

He said the Gambia government is determined to prosecute the culprits involved in the Faraba Banta case, adding “but we also need to be realistic about our chances of conviction.”

Mr. Tambedou further provided proof that “there is evidential burden that is required for different crimes and we believe under the circumstances our evidence and the other surrounding circumstances allow us to charge them with manslaughter and that is the decision we have taken.”

Meanwhile, the punishable conviction for manslaughter remains life imprisonment in the Gambian constitution.

However, he avowed that “the Gambia will no longer witness human rights violations” adding “we intend to do through our reforms is to make sure that there is no culture of human rights violation anymore and that there is no culture of impunity.”

Reporting by Adama Makasuba