Malagen
Former Gambian interior minister Ousman Sonko goes on trial in Switzerland on Monday accused of crimes against humanity committed under the regime of ex-dictator Yahya Jammeh.
The trial takes place under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows a foreign country to prosecute crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide regardless of where they were committed.
Sonko was interior minister in The Gambia -- a small West African nation ruled with an iron grip by Jammeh from 1994 to 2016.
He has been in custody since his arrest in Switzerland in January 2017 after applying for asylum following his sacking as a minister.
Sonko, who turns 55 years old on Tuesday, was detained after a complaint by Geneva-based NGO Trial International.
He is "the highest-ranking state official ever to be tried for international crimes in the application of the principle of universal jurisdiction in Europe", Leslie Haskell, president of Trial International, said in a statement.
Sonko is accused of "having supported, participated in, and failed to prevent systematic and generalised attacks as part of the repression carried out by the Gambian security forces against all opponents of the regime".
He denies all the charges, according to his lawyer Philippe Currat.
If found guilty, he faces life imprisonment.
The trial, which is due to last a month, takes place in the town of Bellinzona in Switzerland's southern Italian-speaking region.
But proceedings will be held in German, one of Switzerland's four national languages, leading to complaints by lawyers who are unhappy that only parts of the hearing will be translated into English, making it more difficult for Gambians to follow.
A verdict is not expected before March.
The charges span a period of 16 years and include nine counts of crimes against humanity including murder, rape, and torture.
t is Switzerland's second crimes against humanity trial.
In June, a Swiss appeals court upheld a 20-year sentence for former Liberian warlord Alieu Kosiah, confirming his war crimes conviction and, for the first time in Swiss history, handing down a verdict of crimes against humanity.
AFP
