Ex-minister of Gambia is imprisoned by a Swiss court for crimes against humanity

A former Gambian government minister was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Swiss court on Wednesday after being found guilty of crimes against humanity committed under former dictator Yahya Jammeh.

Ousman Sonko was convicted guilty on multiple counts of deliberate killing, torture, and false detention by the Federal Criminal Court.

The former interior minister of the Gambia, Sonko, was cleared of any charges of sexual assault in 2016.

“In its verdict … the trial chamber found Ousman Sonko guilty of multiple counts of intentional homicide, multiple counts of torture and multiple counts of deprivation of liberty, each as a crime against humanity,” the statement read.

“The Trial Chamber concludes that Ousman Sonko committed these crimes…. as part of a systematic attack against the civilian population.”

Appealing the decision is possible.

Sonko is the highest-ranking official to be tried in Europe under the doctrine of universal jurisdiction, which permits prosecution of the most heinous crimes anywhere.

The original criminal complaint against Sonko was submitted by the Geneva-based campaign group TRIAL International, which also provided support to the plaintiffs.

In the latter few months of his oppressive 22-year reign, Sonko and Jammeh had a falling out, and in January 2017, the latter was forced to leave after losing an election. Sonko was detained in Switzerland that same month as he was applying for refuge.

The public prosecutor in Switzerland had requested the maximum sentence of life in jail.

Reed Brody, a war crimes prosecutor present at the trial, told Reuters that “the conviction of Ousman Sonko, one of the pillars of Yahya Jammeh’s brutal regime, is a major step on the long road to justice for Jammeh’s victims.”

“The long arm of the law is catching up with Yahya Jammeh’s accomplices all around the world, and hopefully will soon catch up with Jammeh himself.”

The Bellinzona court heard details of the charges of rape, torture, and murder allegedly perpetrated between 2000 and 2016 either by Sonko or under his watch. This is Switzerland’s second civilian prosecution for crimes against humanity.

Sonko refuted the allegations and charged the plaintiffs with fabrication as he berated his seven-year pre-trial imprisonment, which he claimed was partially spent in solitary confinement and had a negative impact on his health.