Former Gambian interior minister Ousman Sonko, who fled the country and went into hiding in Switzerland, appeared before a Swiss court on Monday for crimes against humanity.

Mr Sonko first served in the military, was known as the “torture commander” to the then Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, then as chief of police and from 2006-16 as interior minister before fleeing to Switzerland.

The prosecution “accuses the defendant in particular of having, in the context of five events between 2000 and 2016, participated, ordered, facilitated and/or failed to prevent killings, acts of torture, acts of rape and numerous unlawful detentions,” the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland said on its website.

Mr Sonko’s lawyer, Philippe Currat, told dpa his client rejected all accusations.

Among other things, the lawsuit concerns a case of a soldier who was suspected of plotting a coup. He was allegedly killed by Mr Sonko and accomplices in 2000.

Mr Sonko is said to have raped and tortured his widow several times.

Towards the end of Mr Jammeh’s rule, Mr Sonko fled Gambia in 2016 and was arrested in 2017; after being recognised at an asylum shelter in Switzerland, the organisation Trial International filed a lawsuit.

The trial is taking place at the Swiss Criminal Court in Bellinzona. It is expected to last until at least the end of January.

The prosecution is based on the principle of universal jurisdiction. Crimes against humanity are considered so serious that they can be brought to court in any country.

A former Gambian soldier, for example, has been tried in Germany for involvement in atrocities committed during Mr Jammeh’s rule.

A court in the German town of Celle sentenced him to life in prison at the end of November. 

(dpa/NAN)