A
line up of seven witnesses – 4 females and 3 males – has been secured by the
Swiss public prosecution office to testify against former Interior Minister
Ousman Sonko in Switzerland.
Sonko
is being prosecuted in Switzerland on the basis of universal jurisdiction which
requires Swiss authorities to investigate suspects of torture and crimes
against humanity on its territory.
For
the crimes of torture, which is considered a crime against humanity, Sonko can
be tried in Switzerland even though the crimes were allegedly committed in The
Gambia.
On
6 February this year, the attorney general of Switzerland opened an
investigation against Ousman Sonko. The crimes he is suspected of are qualified
as crimes against humanity, and under the Swiss laws, Sonko can be held for up
to year while the investigations are ongoing.
The
attorney general of Switzerland has already heard testimonies of two victims in
the investigation against Sonko.
Other
victims may be heard in future by the attorney general of Switzerland, who has
been conducting “a meaningful investigation since Sonko’s arrest in January
2017,” according to a media dispatch from NGO, TRIAL International.
It
took one female victim (name withheld) more than ten years to file a complaint
against the former interior minister.
A
victim of torture in Gambian prisons, she was finally able to testify before
the attorney general of Switzerland last week in Bern.
“I
was so relieved when I learned about Ousman Sonko’s arrest,” she said,
expressing hopes that she could take part in the proceedings. “This case is my first occasion to tell my
story. I need justice.”
Another
male victim has also travelled from The Gambia to testify against Sonko. He too was tortured when Mr Sonko was the
head of security services, first as an Inspector General of Police and then as
Minister of the Interior.
“These
people have suffered in silence for years,” said Philip Grant, director of
TRIAL International. “The Gambian
judiciary is still fragile. For these victims, the opening of a trial in Switzerland
would be a unique occasion to get justice.”
At
the moment, there is no extradition request from Gambian authorities regarding
Ousman Sonko.
However,
the Gambian authorities have expressed their willingness to collaborate in the
Swiss investigations of former President Yahya Jammeh’s longtime interior
minister.
TRIAL
International, a Switzerland-based NGO fighting impunity for international
crimes and supporting victims in their quest for justice, filed a complaint
against Sonko when news reached them he fled to their country.
In
January this year, Ousman Sonko got arrested for torture allegation. Given the
suspicions against him, he is currently placed in pre-trial detention.
