A former Gambian minister appeared in a Swiss court on Monday to appeal against a conviction for crimes against humanity under ex-dictator Yahya Jammeh.
Ousman Sonko’s conviction for homicide, torture and false imprisonment in May 2024 was historic since he was the highest-ranking former official ever to be tried in Europe using universal jurisdiction, which allows for the prosecution of the most serious crimes anywhere.
Five of the 10 Gambian plaintiffs in the case were present at the Higher Appeals Chamber of the Federal Criminal Court in the city of Bellinzona alongside the defendant, witnesses said.
Sonko, who acted as interior minister until the former strongman Jammeh dismissed him in 2016, is appealing the ruling for crimes allegedly committed between 2000-2016.
His lawyer Philippe Currat argued in court on Monday that many of the alleged acts happened before the relevant Swiss legislation took effect in 2011. “The conditions for criminal prosecution are not met,” he said in a statement.
Plaintiffs and the prosecution are also appealing the ruling with the aim of prolonging his 20-year sentence to life and expanding it to include sexual violence after Sonko was previously acquitted of rape.
“Sexual violence was a tool of repression in the Gambia and that should be taken into account and recognized by the Court as such,” said Benoit Meystre, a legal adviser at TRIAL International, which filed the original complaint against Sonko and is supporting plaintiffs.
Sonko has already been in custody over nine years, Currat said.
Reed Brody, a member of the International Commission of Jurists working with Jammeh’s victims, said the case could help efforts in the West African country to prosecute Jammeh-era crimes.
The hearings are set to continue until at least April 17. A final appeal is possible against the appeal verdict but would typically take place without public hearings.
