2024-01-11 00:00:13
The former Gambian Minister of the Interior is accused of crimes once morest humanity, torture, kidnapping and even extrajudicial executions. Never has a man at such a high hierarchical level been tried in Europe under universal jurisdiction. And this is only the second criminal case concerning the dictatorship of former President Yahya Jammeh to come before the courts. This Wednesday, the first victims took the stand.
Published on: 01/11/2024 – 01:00
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Fearing being destabilized, Binta Jamba asked that Ousman Sonko not be in the room during his testimony. While her alleged torturer was in another room, she accused the former minister of killing her husband before coming to her house and sexually assaulting her. He allegedly raped her 4 to 5 times a week for several years.
For Reed Brody of the International Commission of Jurists, present on site, it was time for the victims to finally tell their stories. “ This is a critical moment. I have rarely seen such an impactful testimony. She became a sex slave. It is a beginning of justice for victims to be able to tell their stories. There is something sacred regarding the idea of a courtroom where the truth is determined through an adversarial procedure, where the liberty of the accused is at stake. »
But for Me Philippe Curat, Ousman Sonko’s lawyer, Binta Jamba’s testimony is not credible. “ We have a testimony from him full of contradictions. He was deployed from early January 2001 until mid-January 2002 with the United Nations forces in Sierra Leone. He returned to Nigeria from August 2002 to the end of May 2003. We have an alibi established by official documents. »
Ousman Sonko is accused of having had a central role in the system of repression. But he denies it outright. According to his lawyer, the acts were committed by the intelligence services and the Junglers unit. Two groups which had no hierarchical link with Ousman Sonko.
Also read: The historic trial of former Gambian minister Ousman Sonko raises a lot of expectations
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