By: Patience Loum
The prosecutor in the crimes against humanity trial of former Gambian interior minister Ousman Sonko hasexpressed the belief that the former Gambian dictator set up “coup investigation’ panels to launch attacks on the civilian population.
The prosecutor said he arrived at this conclusion following a thorough assessment of the systemic oppression by Yahya Jammeh and his confederates in crime.
One-time Gambian interior minister Ousman Sonko has been undergoing trial at a Swiss court for a variety of alleged humanity crimes.
The prosecution said the forms of attack that the former Gambian president led against the population range from unlawful and arbitrary arrest to torture, and grave human rights violations, including rape, sexual abuse, and murder.
The court, referencing the Gambia’s Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), said over 200 Gambians and non-Gambians were extrajudicially killedunder the orders of the former Gambian strongman. The commission also found out that the Jammeh regime committed humanity crimes against 100 more victims.
The crimes committed under Yahya Jammeh’sgovernment were said to have constituted a repressive policy against the civilian population.
According to the prosecutor in Sonko’s trial, these crimes were perpetrated systematically as perpetrators worked in cahoots. These perpetrators involved the NIA, the PIU, the army, prison services, and state guards, including the “junglers”.
The NIA and the “junglers” took directives from formerPresident Yahya Jammeh whilst the state guard, police,and prison services took orders from the Interior Ministry led by Ousman Sonko.
Aside from housing criminals, the Mile II Prison was also home to individuals and politicians deemed as enemies of the State. Arrested and detained political operatives were subjected to grave human rights violations andsuppression there as fear was being instilled in the civilian population.
Yahya Jammeh also implemented legal strategies with targeted legal reforms, giving immunity to perpetrators like him and his counterparts, which prevents them from being prosecuted.
“The government made no secret of the fact that it subordinated everything to maintain its power and was willing to commit crimes to do so. All those, who were categorized as critical of the Government, were branded enemies of the State, publicly intimidated, threatened, and dehumanized,” the Swiss court heard.