An opposition¹ leader has criticised a wave of arrests in The Gambia, saying detainees - including a former minister - do not know why they are being held.

冈比亚一位在野党领导强烈批判最近一波的逮捕与拘留行动，称包括一位前部长在内的囚犯甚至不知道自己为什么遭逮捕。

President Yahya Jammeh has been criticised for his rights record

Halifa Sallah told the BBC that those arrested have been denied visits from lawyers and family members.

High-ranking military and police officials are reportedly among those detained（被扣留） , and last week ex-fisheries minister Antouman Saho was jailed.

President Yahya Jammeh is frequently criticised by rights groups.

In recent years, he has publicly threatened to kill gay people and rights workers.

Last month the government of Mr Jammeh, who took power in a bloodless coup²（政变） in 1994, expelled（开除，驱逐） the envoy³（使者，特使） of the UN's children charity, Unicef.

No reasons given

Mr Saho, who served in Mr Jammeh's government from 1994 until he was sacked（解雇，洗劫） last month, was taken from his home on Friday night.

Police said he was wanted for questioning by intelligence officials.

His family has not been able to contact him since and no official reason has been given for his arrest.

"According to our constitution, within three hours of an arrest the person should be told why he or she has been arrested," Mr Sallah told the BBC's Network Africa programme.

He said relatives of people arrested as far back as October had told him they had not been able to contact their detained family members.

He said those arrested in the more recent wave of arrests were in the same situation.

"We've still been unable to establish why they've been arrested, and as it stands there is only speculation⁴（推测，思索） ," he added.

Mr Sallah, of the National Alliance for Democracy, has himself been arrested several times in recent years.