By: Nyima Sillah
Top lawyer Lamin J Darboe has urged the Barrow-led government to use diplomatic powers to get exiled former president Yahya Jammeh tried for his alleged human rights violations.
Jammeh, 57, who now lives in Equatorial Guinea has been found with his associates by the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission to have committed gross human rights crimes including killings, torture and rape among other crimes.
“The government will have to use its diplomatic powers out of the country if they want to prosecute Jammeh in this country. On the other hand, the recommendation also said or the position of the government said those who could be reasonably tried in the country, “lawyer Lamin J Darboe said.
“President Jammeh whatever you talk about him has a solid support base and that support base I don’t know what they would do if you want the trial to happen here. So, I believe in his own case properly, the trial would have to take place outside the country.
“The Gambia would not have the financial resources so what is going to happen there is that the government would trigger its diplomatic powers and liaise with the United Nations, other countries and international countries and agencies that would want to participate in funding this process,” he added.
According to him, even the trials that would take place in the Gambia, he believes are beyond the economic powers of the country.
“The investigations alone were very wide spent, so it is going to require a lot of money. So, obviously Yahya Jammeh if he is to be tried, I bet he won’t be tried in the Gambia because of the security, the logistics alone would be a nightmare.” he noted.