#victimsofjammeh

The #Gambia, July 22nd, 2020 - 15 years since the massacre of over 50 West African migrants, en route to Europe, by Gambian security forces loyal to then-President Yahya Jammeh. 44 of the migrants were Ghanaian. Image: Ghanaian, Martin Kyere, is the sole known survivor of the 2005 massacre _ “When one of the soldiers used his cutlass to cut off Adamo’s shoulder and the blood is flowing all over the place…I think we realized then, that the soldiers wanted to kill us all.” _ After their capture, the migrants were badly beaten and then split into two groups and handed over to the Junglers, Jammeh’s hit squad. Over one week, the Junglers summarily executed the group. Martin managed to slip the rope from his wrist and escape into the bush, undercover of the night, minutes before the executions began of the group he was with. He spent 4 days walking in the Gambian bush avoiding coming into contact with anyone until he was able to cross the border to safety in southern Senegal. _ “I jumped From the pickup and into the forest. I heard the soldiers shouting at me, but I did not look back. I ran harder…I tripped on something in the forest that brought me down and gunshots passed over me and around me. But, it was dark so I lay still and waited until it was safe to move again. I could hear behind me ‘Oh God save us, Oh God save us’, and gunshots”. Martin told us that he knew then that his friends were being killed. Martin is now part of a campaign to bring #Jammeh2Justice, for himself and the families of all of those whose loved ones were executed in The Gambia and Senegal in July 2005. _ Portrait from 3+ years (and still going) of working on our multi-media series: ‘Gambia-victims, and resisters’ © @jasonflorio in collaboration with Helen Jones-Florio (also @doors_helenjonesflorio #StoriesBehindDoors / @jasonflorio_photoprints) #Portraits4PositiveChange. Read more:https://blog.jasonflorio.com/2020/07/22/gambia-justice-for-massacre/ All ( ) #Portraits4PositiveChange . . . . . #VictimsofJammeh #jasonfloriophotography #helenjonesflorio #NeverAgainGambia #YahyaJammeh #survivors #humanrightsviolations #extrajudicialkillings #aneked #EverydayGambia #gambiacentrefor (at Ghana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CC7_r6_Hh4B/?igshid=1y13c4jp16e44

The #Gambia, West Africa: Lamin E.Gassama holds a photograh of his mother, Mariama Camara, a Presidential State House Officer. She was murdered along with her husband, Alpha Jallow, at Hamza Barracks on 26th August 2011. She was shot, and he was strangled. The killings were never investigated and the family were too afraid to ask questions “Because we are in Yahya Jammeh’s era before, people were afraid to talk. No one knows what to say because even if you know you can't say anything.You have to hide or otherwise you might face the same consequences” Mama Bass, Lamin’s grandmother told us. _ In March 2018, Captain Malick Boye, a former ‘Jungler’ - Jammeh’s hitmen - was arrested in connection of being involved in multiple killings during Jammeh’s reign, including the murder of both Mariama and Alpha. It was alleged that Mariama had been impregnated by Jammeh and he had ordered her killing when her husband had started ‘making noises’ about his wife’s pregnancy, which Jammeh wanted kept secret. _ Portrait from 3+ years (and still going) of working on our multi-media series: ‘Gambia-victims, and resisters’ © @jasonflorio in collaboration with Helen Jones-Florio #Portraits4PositiveChange #StoriesBehindDoors. Read more: photostellstories.org . . . . . #Jammeh2Justice #VictimsofJammeh #jasonfloriophotography #helenjonesflorio #NeverAgainGambia #YahyaJammeh #survivors #humanrightsviolations #SGBV #extrajudicialkillings #WestAfrica #EverydayGambia #GambiaCentreforVictimsofHumanRightsViolations #ukintheGambia #undpGambia #trrcgambia (at The Gambia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBdhXyvH-mZ/?igshid=13r34i258lkm2

The #Gambia, West Africa: In May 2016, Bintou Nyabally was arrested and detained for five days, after attending a rally to demand the release of illegally detained protesters from previous rallies held on April 15th/16th, 2016. During her detention, Bintou said that she was beaten, tortured, and raped by two masked security officers. When asked if she would prefer that we keep her identity anonymous, her adamant reply was “No, this was done to me, and I want justice…these men should be punished”. We first met Bintou in December, 2018, and recorded her story in her living room. In October 2019, Bintou was given her chance to testify publicly, live on National TV, before the Gambia’s Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission. She is a courageous young woman. _ The TRRC recommenced this week (after a countrywide COVID19 lockdown) to continue hearing the testimonies from victims, and alleged perpetrators. _ Portrait from 3+ years (and still going) of working on our multi-media series: ‘Gambia-victims, and resisters’ © @jasonflorio in collaboration with Helen Jones-Florio #Portraits4PositiveChange #StoriesBehindDoors. Read more: photostellstories.org . . . . . #Jammeh2Justice #VictimsofJammeh #jasonfloriophotography #helenjonesflorio #NeverAgainGambia #YahyaJammeh #survivors #humanrightsviolations #SGBV #extrajudicialkillings #WestAfrica #EverydayGambia #GambiaCentreforVictimsofHumanRightsViolations #ukintheGambia #undpGambia #trrcgambia (at The Gambia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBSy5YjncbA/?igshid=1c2a6n4vqlsxy

The #Gambia, West Africa: Amie Lowe, sits in her father’s room, left unchanged since he was arrested and ‘disappeared' in 2006 - “I grew up not knowing the love of a father. I was only three years old when he disappeared, so I don’t remember him. I only know him through what people have told me, that he was a good man, and some say he was a hero.” _ Lt Ebou Lowe was arrested, in 2006, disappeared and executed by members of the former Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh’s, hit squad the ‘Junglers’, after he was accused of being part of a coup attempt to overthrow the dictatorial Jammeh regime. His family did not know the truth until 2019, during the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) hearings. The TRRC recommenced this week (after a countrywide COVID19 lockdown) to continue hearing the testimonies from victims, and alleged perpetrators. _ Portrait from 3+ years (and still going) working on our multi-media series: ‘Gambia-victims, and resisters’ © @jasonflorio in collaboration with Helen Jones-Florio #Portraits4PositiveChange #StoriesBehindDoors. Read more: photostellstories.org . . . . . #Jammeh2Justice #VictimsofJammeh #jasonfloriophotography #helenjonesflorio #NeverAgainGambia #YahyaJammeh #survivors #humanrightsviolations #SGBV #extrajudicialkillings #WestAfrica #EverydayGambia #GambiaCentreforVictimsofHumanRightsViolations #ukintheGambia #undpGambia #trrcgambia @humanrightswatch (at The Gambia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBQTbPTHI66/?igshid=18a4plj37okvx

The tiny West African republic, The Gambia, is a popular winter-sun holiday destination for Europeans. However, most tourists have little idea of the dark and shattered underbelly of 'The Smiling Coast of Africa', as the Gambia is fondly called. From 1994 -2017 President Yahya Jammeh ruled the Gambia as his fiefdom, crushing dissent, and opposition with brutality. His personal hit squad and National Intelligence Agency carried out tortures, assassinations, and acts of sexual violence with impunity - journalists were gunned down and disappeared, students shot in cold blood, and even his cousins were murdered on his order. _ Image © @jasonflorio - Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) billboard, Senegambia, The Gambia, depicting a small selection of portraits from the series we have been making for over 3 years. There are 100’s more. floriophoto.com (under Portraits: ‘Gambia - victims, and resisters’ #Portraits4PostiveChange © @jasonflorio & Helen Jones-Florio) for more from the series. The TRRC resumes today hearing testimonies from the victims and survivors of Jammeh’s rule, along with those of the alleged perpetrators. It is a long, and extremely painful process for the survivors, to finally have their voices heard, but also to see and hear those who are implicated in meting out shocking tortures, killings, and human rights abuses, and about what happened to their loved ones. We will continue making the portraits and filming testimonies once flights to the Gambia resume after the lockdown. _ . . . . #theGambia #Jammeh2Justice #VictimsofJammeh #jasonfloriophotography #helenjonesflorio #portraitsforpositivechange #NeverAgainGambia #YahyaJammeh #survivors #humanrightsviolations l #SGBV #extrajudicialkillings #WestAfrica #EverydayGambiaGambia #CentreforVictimsofHumanRightsViolations #NationalCentreforArtsandCultureGambia #ukintheGambia #undpGambia @goethinstitut_seneg #trrcgambia #theANEKED @sitesofconscience (at The Gambia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBLEE0ZHdfc/?igshid=1s76owdngsad0

The Gambia, West Africa - Carrying on with our long-term project (3+ years in, and still going strong), making portraits and recording testimonies with victims, and resisters, of the former regime of Yahya Jammeh. _ Image (c) Helen Jones-Florio, with @jasonflorio (see the portrait from this particular shoot on his IG page). _ Great to be working with #ANEKED, too. _ #jammeh2justice #NeverAgainGambia #portraits4positivechange . . . . . . . #victimsofJammeh #theGambia #aneked #helenjonesflorio #jasonfloriophotography #documentaryphotography #trrc_gambia #victimsandresisters #humanrightsabuses #behindthescenes (at The Gambia) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8EFXNEg9Z6/?igshid=16l3fxqzv44hi

The Gambia - Working with victims of the former regime of Yahya Jammeh. Today we met Awa Njie whose husband, Lieutenant Abdoulie ‘Dot’ Faal, accused of a coup attempt in 1994, was tortured and then killed, by the military junta. Their son was just 8 months old when his father was killed.’I was in the bed with my baby son, sleeping, and woke to see my husband standing by the bed just staring at us... he picked the boy up and hugged him to his chest, then put him back in the bed. He turned and left ...I never saw him again’ _ Image of @jasonflorio with Awa (c) Helen Jones-Florio, Working on a project for ANEKED #jammeh2justice _ (also @doors_helenjonesflorio / @jasonflorio_photoprints ) #NeverAgainGambia #portraits4positivechange . . . . . . . #victimsofJammeh #theGambia #aneked #UKintheGambia #helenjonesflorio #jasonfloriophotography #pressfreedom #PaModouFaal #trrc_gambia #humanrightsabuses (at The Gambia) https://www.instagram.com/p/B73JvtVggwh/?igshid=15n1u3x7u0q2m

Happening now in The Gambia: March for #Jammeh2Justice - children are the future . Image (c) Helen Jones-Florio with @jasonflorio . . . #VictimsofJammeh #Gambia #humanrights #yahyajammeh #NeverAgainGambia (at Serekunda) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7vjQhZA6Hq/?igshid=1gw1ql7vhfvw0