Media Wire Express Correspondent
A Swiss court on Wednesday convicted former Gambian President Yahya Ousman Sonko Jammeh to 20 years in jail for crimes against humanity .
The former leader was found guilty of intentional homicide, torture, and false imprisonment by the Federal Criminal Court. Despite being acquitted of rape, Sonko was convicted on multiple counts of intentional homicide, torture, and deprivation of liberty, all classified as crimes against humanity by the court’s verdict.
“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 court said in a statement.
“The Trial Chamber concludes that Ousman Sonko committed these crimes…. as part of a systematic attack against the civilian population.”
The judgment can be appealed. Sonko is the highest-ranking official ever to be tried in Europe using universal jurisdiction which allows the most serious crimes to be prosecuted anywhere.
Also Read:Gambian lawmakers postpone debate to overturn FGM ban
Geneva-based campaign group TRIAL International filed the original criminal complaint against Sonko and supported the plaintiffs.
Sonko fell out with Jammeh in the final months of his 22-year repressive rule before the latter was forced to flee in January 2017 after an election defeat. That same month, Sonko was arrested in Switzerland while seeking asylum.
Switzerland’s public prosecutor had sought the maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
“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,” Reed Brody, a war crimes prosecutor attending the trial, told Reuters.
“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 case is Switzerland’s second ever civilian trial for crimes against humanity and the Bellinzona court heard details between January and March of charges of rape, torture and murder allegedly committed between 2000-2016 either by Sonko or under his watch.
Also Read:Senegal wins AFCON opening Against Gambia
Sonko denied the charges and accused the plaintiffs of lying while denouncing his seven-year pre-trial detention – a period he said was partly spent in solitary confinement and affected his health.
Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year rule in Gambia was marked by widespread abuses, including forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and arbitrary detention.
Source :Reuters
Muchas gracias. ?Como puedo iniciar sesion?