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Human Rights Abuses in the US Army

Standard Times (Freetown)
NEWS
January 11, 2005
Posted to the web January 13, 2005

By Abu Bakarr Kargbo

Sierra Leonean fall victim
The All Peoples Congress, which heads the parliamentary committee on human
rights has finally decided to investigate a case of violation of the rights of
a Sierra Leonean who was until 1999 in the United States army.
According to the victim, Andrew Yamba Mansaray, on the 8th of May 1999, while
serving in the US army he was assaulted by a senior army officer, Ferro William
D at the RACH Emergency Room.
"I was maltreated and abused by army officers who forcefully extracted genetic
materials such as sperm drawn from my penis, blood drawn with a syringe and
needle, and an insertion of fingers by a female soldier into my anus and asked
to inhale and exhale repeatedly," Mansaray said, adding that the act was
repeated several times without any explanation, and without his consent.
He said though he put up heavy resistance he couldn't over power the number of
soldiers carrying out the unethical act.
Yamba Mansaray said he was later forced to leave the army, following which he
reported the matter to the Sierra Leone Embassy in the USA, with Dr. John Leigh
as Ambassador, after a series of consultations with private counsels.
"I was later restrained from going to the embassy by Mr. Hassan Conteh, Head of
Chancery through the Washington DC police department, which I questioned but no
plausible answer was given.
I decided to return home in 2000 and reported the matter to the then Attorney
General, Solomon Berewa who told me the case was a foreign affairs matter and
thus referred me to the Foreign Minister, Dr. Ramadan Dumbuya to help get some
document before action could be taken," he explained.
Nothing again was done as Mr. Berewa confided in him that our government cannot
fight the US government.
"The government has since been dragging its feet on the matter until recently
when the matter reached Hon. Dr.
Alusine Fofanah of the APC as head of the Human Rights Committee in parliament
by a committee member, Dr.
Kumbu-Smart for pending action," he said, adding that another file on the
matter has also been sent to a Senior Adviser of the President, Dr. Sama S.
Banya who is liaising with the office of the Attorney General and H.E. the
President for immediate action.

   

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