Mile 2 Prison is a penal institution in the
West African country of
The Gambia that is located on the highway between
Serrekunda and the capital city of
, across the road from a military barracks. Officially known as Central State Prison, the facility is notorious for its harsh conditions, torture by guards, and its use in holding political opponents of former President
Yahya Jammeh
Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh (born 25 May 1965) is a Gambian politician and former military officer who was the leader of The Gambia from 1994 to 2017, firstly as chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) from 199 ...
.
Opened in 1920 by British colonial authorities,
the prison contains a 'remand wing' where juvenile offenders and those awaiting trial are held, and a 'security wing' which houses high security prisoners, including those on
death row
Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting Capital punishment, execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of ...
,
political prisoners, and other convicted inmates. Torture and other mistreatment is rampant inside the prison's security wing with some inmates reporting beatings, not being allowed to leave their cells for months at a time, lack of adequate medical treatment leading to the spread of disease,
mosquitoes, and forbidden contact with family.
[https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/1158776/432_1181636583_22316-gambia-english.pdf ] According to a former prisoner, most prisoners are only allowed four, thirty minute, visits a year while those on death row are not allowed any, and deaths are rife, usually the result of preventable disease.
In 2009, two British missionaries were jailed in Mile 2 Prison on charges of
sedition
Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, estab ...
after writing a letter critical of the government.
On 23 August 2012, nine inmates were ordered to be executed by
lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium solution) for the express purpose of causing rapid death. The main application for this procedure is capital puni ...
on the orders of
Yahya Jammeh
Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh (born 25 May 1965) is a Gambian politician and former military officer who was the leader of The Gambia from 1994 to 2017, firstly as chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) from 199 ...
, including one inmate whose death sentence had recently been commuted to life. These were the first executions to be carried out in Gambia since 1981.
See also
*
Black Beach
*
Politics of the Gambia
*
State House of the Gambia The State House is the official residence of the president of the Gambia. It was built in colonial days and was the residence of the governor of the Gambia. Then known as the Government House, it became the residence of the Governor General followin ...
*
1994 Gambian coup d'état
In the 1994 Gambian coup d'état, a group of soldiers led by 29-year-old Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh seized power in a bloodless coup d'état on the morning of 22 July, ousting Dawda Jawara, who had been President of the Gambia since its independence ...
References
Buildings and structures in Banjul
Government of the Gambia
Penal system in the Gambia
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