APA-Banjul (Gambia) – The justice ministry calls on all “Gambians, citizens of the ECOWAS and the international community to promote and support all government efforts to establish special mechanisms of accountability and justice.”
A federal criminal court in Bellinzona, Switzerland, found Ousman Sonko guilty of crimes against humanity committed in The Gambia between 2006 and 2016 while Yahya Jammeh was in power.
The former Gambian minister was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The Swiss court’s decision was welcomed by Banjul.
The Gambian justice ministry insisted on “the importance of this verdict in the global fight against impunity,” noting that it comes at a “crucial moment in the country’s history” as it makes the transition from an autocratic system to a democratic system of governance.
The ministry expresses its immense “thanks to the Swiss authorities, in particular the Attorney General’s Office and the Swiss Embassy in The Gambia, for their close partnership and mutual legal assistance throughout the process.”
The ministry calls on all “Gambians, the citizens of ECOWAS and the international community to promote and support all government efforts to establish special accountability and justice mechanisms.” It also
points out that “in April 2024, the National Assembly of The Gambia passed the Special Accountability Mechanism Bill and the Office of the Special Prosecutor Bill, demonstrating the government’s commitment to
the establishment of these mechanisms.”
The ministry insists that “this mechanism will be a comprehensive mechanism to investigate, prosecute and try cases related to serious human rights violations, both domestic and international crimes documented by the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRCR) between July 1994 and January 2017.”
AC/fss/as/APA