Gambia: Former spy chief and four others sentenced to death
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A former intelligence chief, Yankuba Badjie, and four other security agents have been sentenced to death by a local court.
The local court judge sentenced the five to death for the killing in 2016 of a political activist in the final days of brutal rule under former President Yahya Jammeh.
Yankuba Badjie was officially charged in 2017 with the death of a top political figure, Ebrima Solo Sandeng.
Badjie and 8 others at the time faced two counts of conspiracy to commit felony and murder.
Sandeng was a leading figure in the opposition United Democratic Party who was arrested during anti-government protests.
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He died in detention shortly after his arrest for participating in a protest demanding electoral reforms ahead of last December’s presidential polls.
The April 14, 2016 protest led to the arrest of some five members of the UDF after police dispersed the crowd. The arrested activists were taken to Mile 2 Prison and later to the National Intelligence Agency for interrogation.
Sandeng’s death sparked fresh protests leading to the ousting of Yahya Jammeh who lost the December 2016 elections to then opposition coalition candidate, Adama Barrow.
Solo Sandeng dedicated many years of his life to politics in Gambia and was previously arrested in 2013 for his political activities.
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Jammeh fled Gambia in 2017 to Equatorial Guinea, where he remains in exile.
Source: Africafeeds.com
