APA-Banjul (Gambia) A court in Germany has handed down a life sentence to a former member of a death squad accused of multiple killings and other violations in The Gambia under Yahya Jammeh.
Bai Lowe was a driver for the hit squad known as the Junglers who were thought to have carried out assassinations at the behest of Gambia’s former president who ruled mainland Africa’s smallest nation for 22 years after coming to power in a bloodless coup in July 1994.
Lowe, a former soldier was charged with crimes against humanity, murder, most notably the December 2004 killing of journalist Deyda Hydara, and attempted murder.
He was tried at a local court in the town of Celle, northern Germany over his role in facilitating the killing of Mr. Hydara by slowing down the victim’s car before the journalist was fatally shot by members of the hit squad.
The accused had denied all the charges for which he was found guilty.
Reacting to Thursday’s landmark life sentence, Lowe shook his head ruefully as it was being read out to him by the judge.
Jammeh who now resides in exile in Equatorial Guinea after losing the 2016 presidential vote to current President Adama Barrow, had created a personal paramilitary group which German prosecutors say was used for extrajudicial killings of political opponents and journalists.
Reacting to the sentence on Lowe, Hydara’s son Baba who was present in court described it as a ”small start” in the hunt and prosecution of Jammeh-era violations spanning over two decades which only ended when he lost the 2016 presidential vote.
Although the violations may have happened within the jurisdiction of The Gambia, Lowe’s case was heard in Germany as prosecutors decided to apply universal jurisdiction that allows another country to try crimes that may have been committed elsewhere.
During the hearing Lowe, 47 had given graphic details of how the Junglers carried out killings but claimed he was relying on his fuzzy memory to recall key incidents he may have witnessed but never took part in their execution.
An interview Lowe had given to the Gambian-run Freedom Newspaper online based in the US in 2013 had helped the court gather evidence against the accused.
Pictures of him in Gambian military uniform had also helped identify his person.
Meanwhile Judge Ralf Guenther claimed the Gambian government had not provided legal assistance in the prosecution of Mr. Lowe despite a request by the court to that effect.
However the Barrow administration says it is working closely with the West African regional organisation Ecowas to set up a hybrid court that would facilitate the prosecution of crimes committed during the Jammeh era.
Alleged victims of violations under Mr. Jammeh had criticised the government’s apparent tardiness in following up on their testimonies at the truth commission with tangible steps towards prosecution.
Facing similar charges in Switzerland is Jammeh’s ex interior minister Ousman Sonko who is being detained in the European country.
Since 2017, Swiss authorities have placed Sonko under investigation over his role in so-called Jammeh-era crimes against humanity.
Michael Sang Correa was also indicted in the United States three years ago as an alleged member of the Junglers.
He has denied any role with the death squad.
WN/as/APA