On May 15th, the former Gambian Minister of the Interior Ousman Sonko was convicted of crimes against humanity by the Swiss Federal Criminal Court. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Sonko is the most senior state official to be convicted in Europe based on universal jurisdiction.

The court found that between 2000 and 2016, Soko, individually and as a member of a group led by then Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, committed several crimes against humanity. He was convicted on several counts of intentional homicide, torture, and false imprisonment. The Criminal Chamber found that Sonko – in complicity with others – intentionally killed a soldier suspected of a coup. It also found that it has been proven that – in complicity with others – he tortured army personnel, politicians and journalists and falsely imprisoned them in connection with a failed coup attempt in March 2006 in Banjul and murdered a former member of parliament in October 2011 in Banjul. According to the Criminal Chamber it is further established that Sonko – in complicity with others – tortured several opposition members in connection with a political rally in April 2016 in Banjul, where one of the organizers of the rally was killed in the torture acts. The torture of the opposition members continued thereafter as they were held under inhumane detention conditions.

The Director of TRIAL International, an international NGO supporting victims of international crimes stated that “Today’s conviction sets a historic precedent in the fight against impunity worldwide. This verdict not only brings justice to the victims of these heinous crimes but also sends a strong signal to high-level perpetrators across the globe, including ministers: justice can catch up with you.”