Swiss court convicts Gambian ex-minister in crimes against humanity case

A Swiss federal court on Wednesday found a former government minister from Gambia guilty of crimes against humanity under former dictator Yahya Jammeh, according to a Geneva non-governmental organisation providing support for the plaintiffs.

A Swiss federal court on Wednesday found a former government minister from Gambia guilty of crimes against humanity under former dictator Yahya Jammeh, according to a Geneva non-governmental organisation providing support for the plaintiffs. Reed Brody, a war crimes prosecutor attending the trial, said Ousman Sonko was convicted of intentional homicide, torture and false imprisonment and acquitted for rape.

The ruling, by the Swiss Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, can be appealed. Sonko, former interior minister, is the highest-ranking official ever to be tried in Europe using universal jurisdiction which allows the most serious crimes to be prosecuted anywhere.