A Swiss court has sentenced a former Gambian minister to 20 years in prison for his involvement in crimes against humanity.
Ousman Sonko fled to Switzerland in 2016, just before Gambian President Yahya Jammeh was ousted from power following his refusal to accept election defeat. Jammeh’s government faced accusations of numerous human rights violations.
Sonko was apprehended after non-governmental organizations presented evidence of atrocities committed against Jammeh’s political adversaries.
Despite Sonko’s legal team asserting his innocence, the 55-year-old ex-interior minister was found guilty of intentional homicide, torture, and false imprisonment. However, he was acquitted of rape.
Sonko has the option to appeal the verdict, which was handed down by the Swiss Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona.
Switzerland prosecuted the case under universal jurisdiction, allowing nations to try individuals for crimes committed elsewhere. Sonko’s trial marks the first instance in Europe where a high-ranking government official has been prosecuted under this principle.
Philip Grant, the head of the organization that initiated the complaint leading to Sonko’s arrest, hailed the verdict as a significant step against impunity, emphasizing that justice now reaches ministerial-level perpetrators.
Swiss investigators conducted interviews with numerous alleged victims and witnesses in The Gambia as part of the trial, which commenced in January.
During Jammeh’s reign from 1996 to 2016, The Gambia experienced widespread abuses, including forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, according to Human Rights Watch.
Sonko, perceived as Jammeh’s right-hand man, oversaw the security services as interior minister, allegedly including a notorious paramilitary unit called “the Junglers.”
Fleeing to Switzerland in 2016, Sonko sought asylum there. He was subsequently arrested in January 2017.
Alongside Switzerland, other countries are pursuing cases against former members of Jammeh’s regime. In October, Germany sentenced Bai Lowe, a former “Junglers” member, to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity. Additionally, a Colorado court in the United States will try an alleged ex-“Jungler” member in September.
Despite The Gambia establishing its transitional justice process to address Jammeh-era abuses, human rights organizations criticize its slow progress.
