Africa-Press – Gambia. In a 156-page document presented during a six-hour marathon in German on Monday March 4, 2024 in Bellinzona, the federal prosecutor under the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Swiss Confederation calls for life imprisonment for the former Gambian minister of inside, Mr Ousman Sonko.
Mr Sonko, tried by the Swiss Federal Criminal Court for crimes committed while he was in the service of Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh, is accused of the murder of Almamo Manneh and his responsibility for the murders of Baba Jobe and Solo Sandeng then that he held various public functions between 2000 and 2006 at the National Guard Battalion, as Inspector General of Police and as Minister of the Interior between 2006 and 2016, respectively.
The trial, which resumed this week after more than five weeks of interruption, hears arguments from the prosecutor, Sonko’s lawyer and lawyers for the plaintiffs who are also suing Sonko for various forms of human rights violations that They suffered under the custody of the state at the time when Sonko held these functions. Crimes such as multiple rapes, torture and other degrading treatment are considered crimes against humanity under international law, and in accordance with international jurisdiction, accused persons can be prosecuted for these crimes in countries where they are located, even if the crimes were committed in other jurisdictions.
“The sentence is proportional to the guilt and taking into account the constituent elements of the offense and its perpetrator: The most serious offense in this case is the murder of Almamo MANNEH, qualified as a crime against humanity. Due to the objective and subjective seriousness of the offense, the hypothetical punishment for this offense is life imprisonment,” said the prosecutor, Ms. Sabrina Beyeler.
For other offenses, taking into account the objective and subjective seriousness of the offense described, the prosecutor stated that life imprisonment is also the applicable penalty, for the murder of Baba JOBE as a qualified crime against humanity. This is also the case for the murder and torture of Solo SANDENG.
The prosecutor said the deprivation of liberty, torture and multiple violations of sexual self-determination all qualify as crimes against humanity, to the detriment of Almamo Manneh’s widow, who also launched legal proceedings with d other plaintiffs in this case. The prosecution is seeking multiple custodial sentences for these crimes.
“In the present case, the detention courts have always emphasized during the incarceration and hearings that this is an exceptional case with international facts in a very complex form,” she said. , noting that the duration of the procedure therefore in no way constitutes a reason for a reduction of the sentence in the present case.
This means that despite Mr Sonko’s seven-year pre-trial detention, the prosecutor is asking that the court start sentencing him again.
“However, none of the judicial authorities requested by the accused in connection with more than 50 complaints found a violation of the obligation to accelerate procedures,” she argued.
She said that it follows from the above that a sentence of life imprisonment for the offenses committed by the accused should be life imprisonment, and is considered an overall sentence proportionate to the degree of culpability.
“This is also justified in the light of international jurisprudence. In December last year, Jungler Bai LOWE, implicated as a driver in several cases of crimes against humanity, was sentenced to life in prison,” said the prosecutor.
“The involvement of the accused (Ousman Sonko) and his guilt must be assessed much more significantly in this case. Taking into account all sentencing criteria, the Attorney General’s Office therefore requests that the accused be sentenced to life imprisonment,” she concluded.
POINT OF GAMBIA
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