Switzerland arrests ex-Gambian interior minister

Switzerland arrests ex-Gambian interior minister

Switzerland on Thursday detained former Gambian interior minister Ousman Sonko , who is accused of committing grave abuses under the regime of ousted president Yahya Jammeh .
The arrest , confirmed by Swiss prosecutors, comes as The Gambia prepared to welcome their new president Adama Barrow , who had fled to Senegal after beating Jammeh in a landmark election that sparked a political crisis .
Sonko had been one of Jammeh ’ s top allies, serving in his presidential guard before leading the interior ministry from 2006 to 2016 .
Jammeh sacked him in September and Sanko fled to Sweden where his request for asylum was rejected .
Sonko was detained in the Swiss capital Bern following a complaint filed by rights group TRIAL .
“ He will be interrogated soon , ” Amael Gschwind , a spokesman for Bern prosecutors told AFP, confirming the arrest .
TRIAL , which campaigns for the Swiss judicial system to act on crimes committed abroad , described Sonko as one of Jammeh ’ s “strongmen ” and said he must have been aware of the violations committed under the fallen authoritarian regime .
“ Sonko could not have ignored the large - scale torture that political opponents , journalists and human rights defenders suffered ” , said Benedict de Moerloose of TRIAL ’ s criminal law division .
According to TRIAL , Sonko arrived in Switzerland in November and applied for asylum .
It was not immediately clear where he had lived between his arrival and his arrest .
TRIAL urged Switzerland to move forward with prosecution, suggesting it could give positive momentum to the unprecedented political developments underway in The Gambia.
“ The crimes of Jammeh ’ s government have never been judged , and torturers walk free. At the time Gambia is preparing for a democratic transition , these developments send a strong message of hope , ” the rights group said in a statement .
Jammeh refused to step down after his election loss to Barrow , but was ultimately forced to quit power and flee to Equatorial Guinea amid strong regional and international pressure .
Residents of The Gambia, a country of roughly two million people, were anxiously awaiting Barrow ’ s arrival which will cap the first - ever democratic transition of power in the nation’ s history .

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meet Kehinde Olamide the youngest recipient of SAN

Image
Kehinde Olamide Ogunwumiju is the youngest among the list of 30 lawyers’ shortlisted for the conferment of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN only at age 37. He is 12 years post-call and had dedicated his post call years to active advocacy and personal development. He is an associate in the firm of Afe Babalola & Co. Kehinde Olamide Ogunwumiju was born on December 24th 1981 to Justice Helen Moronkeji Ogunwumiju of the Court of Appeal and Late Pharmacist Festus Kokumo Ogunwumiju. He started his early years in Ibadan at Omolewa nursery and primary school and proceeded to international School Ibadan for secondary education. He graduated from the University of Ibadan in 2004 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2005. He proceeded to the Northumbria University in England for his masters and graduated in 2007. He started his career as a Corp Member in AFe Babalola chambers (Ibadan office) and later moved to the Abuja office and rose to the Enviable position of a Partner in ...
Read more

9th Assembly: NASS Introduces Stringent Conditions For Journalists’ Accreditation

Image
Ahead of the inauguration of ninth assembly, the National Assembly management has released 20 stringent conditions for journalists and media houses’ accreditation. In two separate letters addressed to the chairmen of Senate and House of Representatives Press Corps on Monday by the Director of Information, Agada Emmanuel, the requirements were categorised under permanent and temporary accreditation. According to the letters, this new accreditation guidelines shall come into effect from June 11, 2019. The prerequisites for the coverage of the activities of the National Assembly before the expiration of the present leadership was also aimed at reducing the number of journalists covering the legislative arm. One of the letters on requirements for permanent accreditation stipulates: ”Evidence of a certificate of incorporation of the media organisation and evidence of membership of professional bodies for media organisations.” It also includes: ”proof of membership of Nigeria Union of J...
Read more

Sri Lanka: Buddhist leader stokes anti-Muslim tension

Sri Lanka: Buddhist leader stokes anti-Muslim tension A manhunt is on in Sri Lanka for a hard-line Buddhist leader after a series of attacks on mosques and Muslim-owned businesses that authorities accuse him of encouraging. President Maithripala Siresena had vowed to investigate anti-Muslim hate crimes after assuming power in 2015, however, attacks have escalated over the past two weeks. Another Muslim shop in the town of Kahawatte was reportedly burned to the ground this week by unidentified attackers. Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General-Secretary Galagoda Atte Gnanasara has encouraged his Buddhist supporters to lead another campaign against Muslims following the deadly Aluthgama riots in June 2014, which attempted to create disunity between Buddhists and Muslims. Less than 10 percent of Sri Lanka's population of 20 million are Muslim. The majority are Sinhalese Buddhist, while most Tamils are Hindu. Political analyst Amjad Mohamed Saleem told Al Jazeera it was worrisome that vio...
Read more