Proceedings against Gambia’s former Interior Minister Ousman Sonko for crimes against humanity began Monday in a Swiss federal court. Sonko is accused of “having supported, participated in and failed to prevent systematic and generalized attacks as part of the repression carried out by the Gambian security forces against all opponents of the regime.” The crimes are alleged to have taken place over the course of 16 years and include nine counts of crimes against humanity under Yahya Jammeh’s dictatorship. Sonko was the West African nation’s interior minister between 2006 and 2016 and has been held in Switzerland where he applied for asylum in 2017 after being sacked from his position. Sonko was detained after Geneva-based NGO Trial International made a complaint. The NGO posted on social media that in this “landmark trial,” Sonko would be “the highest-ranking state official ever to be tried for international crimes” under the principle of universal jurisdiction.
SOURCE: DW
