Gambia's former head of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Yankuba Badjie, has been arrested, the NIA was involved in the disappearance and torture of critics of ex-President Yahya Jammeh. Mr Badjie is the first of Mr. Jammeh's security officials to be taken into custody by the new government.
Mr. Badjie was arrested on Monday with another former NIA employee. The agency is cited by Human Rights Watch (HRW) as being an instrument of serious abuses under Mr. Jammeh. In a 2015 report, HRW painted a very bad impression of human rights in The Gambia.
"The government of President Yahya Jammeh committed serious human rights violations including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture against those who voiced opposition to the government," HRW said.
"State security forces most frequently implicated in violations were members of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA)."
According to HRW, those targeted by the intelligence agency included journalists, political opponents, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, many of whom fled The Gambia out of fear.
Source://www.bbc.com
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