Switzerland accuses former Gambian Interior Minister Ousman Sonko of crimes against humanity

GENEVA (SWITZERLAND), 18 Apr. (DPA/EP) –

The Swiss Attorney General’s Office has accused the former Minister of the Interior of the Gambia Ousman Sonko on Tuesday of crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the exercise of his functions, between 2006 and 2016.

Sonko, who fled his country and took refuge in Switzerland, is accused of having allegedly been involved in the violent repression of the civilian population during his period in charge of the Interior portfolio.

Before taking the reins of the Ministry of the Interior, Sonko had held the position of commander of the Gambia National Guard and was also responsible for the security of the country’s former president Yahya Jamé.

Jamé’s authoritarian government was characterized by the systematic persecution of critics of his rule. It is even suspected that Sonko could have ordered the torture and execution of opponents.

Jamé fled The Gambia after civil unrest in 2017 and went into exile in Equatorial Guinea. Sonko left Gambian territory in 2016 for Sweden and later Switzerland, where she applied for asylum and lived for weeks in a center for asylum seekers.

However, a group of journalists found the whereabouts of the former Minister of the Interior, who was arrested by the Swiss authorities. The judicial investigations against him have lasted for more than six years.