Sonko denies systematic attacks on Gambia’s population
Published: Tuesday, Jan 9th 2024, 20:10
Back to Live Feed
The former Gambian interior minister accused of crimes against humanity spoke for the first time on the second day of the trial. On Tuesday, Ousman Sonko recalled the Manden Charter from West Africa from the 13th century - probably the oldest declaration of human rights.
According to his own statements, Sonko was involved in the UN peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone from 2001 to 2002. He received an award from the UN for his services. And he is described in the management report of Thun Regional Prison as "pleasant and calm".
After these statements, the court began questioning Sonko about the systematic attack against the civilian population of The Gambia, which the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) assumes and which is recorded in various reports by international organizations.
With his questions, the presiding judge tried to shed light on who was in command of the paramilitary Junglers special unit, which is held responsible for numerous cases of torture and extrajudicial executions in The Gambia. Sonko's relationship with the notorious intelligence service was also a topic of discussion. However, Sonko denied that he had any authority, either formal or de facto.
He also vehemently denied that he was the right-hand man of former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh. This is being spread because he was active as Minister of the Interior for a long time. He had never been treated differently from other members of the government.
Valid indictment
At the beginning of the second day of the trial, the Criminal Chamber of the Federal Criminal Court announced that the proceedings against Sonko would continue. The amended indictment was valid, contrary to the criticism of the defense lawyer.
Last year, the court invited the Office of the Attorney General to make certain additions if necessary. This is legally permissible, as the presiding judge noted on the second day of the trial. He rejected the defense counsel's request to rely on the first version of the indictment.
According to the judge, the question of Switzerland's jurisdiction to conduct these proceedings and the possible statute of limitations for certain offenses could not be decided by the court in the context of the preliminary questions.
Only after the evidence has been evaluated can a decision be made as to whether a systematic attack on the civilian population took place in The Gambia. This will determine whether the crimes should be classified as crimes against humanity and which statutes of limitations apply.
The federal prosecutor accuses 55-year-old Sonko of being involved in numerous crimes against humanity together with other executives between 2000 and 2016. The accused denies all allegations. He has been in custody since his arrest in 2017. He had applied for asylum in Switzerland.
The trial will continue on Wednesday at 08:30. (Case SK.2023.23)
©Keystone/SDA
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic