Gambiaj.com – (BELINZONA) – The Swiss Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona has sentenced Ousman Sonko, a former Yahya Jammeh’s Minister of Interior, to 20 years in prison. The judgment sanctions the highest case involving serious allegations against a former high-ranking official from Yahya Jammeh’s regime. The judgment, delivered by a three-judge panel, pertains to a criminal proceeding by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland and private claimants against Sonko.

Reading the verdict, the clerk of the court said Sonko had been given a “custodial sentence of 20 years”. State prosecutors had sought life imprisonment for Sonko at the trial in Bellinzona, southern Switzerland, which began in January. Sonko, who was in the courtroom, offered little reaction when a translation of the verdict was read out in English. He can appeal the verdict.

Sonko was charged with a range of serious offenses allegedly committed in The Gambia between 2000 and 2016. The charges include murder, intentional homicide as a crime against humanity, serious assaults, torture as a crime against humanity, endangering life, coercion, rape, false imprisonment, and intentional failure as a superior to prevent various crimes. These offenses are said to have been committed either alone or in collaboration with then-President Yahya Jammeh and other high-ranking officials in the security forces and prison services of The Gambia.

Ousman Sonko pleaded not guilty and denied all the allegations against him. He addressed the Court, expressing regret for the lack of simultaneous interpretation of closing arguments and the difficulties he faced in the trial. He also mentioned violations of his rights, including delayed transcripts of his testimony. Sonko also said he disapproved torture and the NIA’s actions in keeping the police away from the persons whose transfer to the NIA was ordered in April 2016. He furtehr added that the Junglers’ death squad use of torture was unacceptable, but the police, under his control, were not involved in the October 2011 killing, and there was no serious evidence to support this.

Sonko’s defense lawyer demanded an acquittal and compensation for his client’s time in custody since 2017. The lawyer criticized the trial as an attempt to pressure Equatorial Guinea, where former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh lives.

However, the indictment accuses Sonko of being involved in extensive and systematic attacks on the civilian population of The Gambia. It alleges that he acted in various capacities, including as a member of the army, Inspector General of Police, and Minister of the Interior. The indictment claims that Sonko, along with others, intentionally killed, tortured, and raped individuals and unlawfully deprived them of their liberty in a serious manner.

Specifically, the indictment includes charges related to the intentional killing of a soldier suspected of involvement in a coup in January 2000, the repeated rape of the soldier’s widow from January 2000 to around April 2002, torture and unlawful deprivation of liberty of various individuals in connection with a coup attempt in March 2006, the intentional killing of a former member of the National Assembly in October 2011, and torture and unlawful deprivation of liberty of opposition members at a political rally in April 2016, which allegedly resulted in the killing of one of the rally’s organizers.

The judgment marks a significant development in the pursuit of justice for alleged human rights abuses and crimes against humanity committed in The Gambia. It underscores the importance of accountability for such crimes and the role of international justice mechanisms in ensuring that perpetrators are held responsible for their actions.

Philip Grant, executive director at TRIAL International, which filed the Swiss case against Sonko before his arrest, said he was the highest-level former official ever to be put on trial in Europe under the principle of universal jurisdiction.

The group said Wednesday’s conviction showed “no one is above the reach of justice.”