Ex-Gambian Minister Appeals Swiss Crimes Conviction
Last update: March 30, 2026
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Ousman Sonko challenges 20-year sentence while plaintiffs seek life term and inclusion of sexual violence.
A former Gambian minister, Ousman Sonko, appeared in a Swiss court on Monday to appeal his conviction for crimes against humanity under ex-dictator Yahya Jammeh.
Sonko was convicted in May 2024 of homicide, torture and false imprisonment, marking the first time a high-ranking Gambian official was tried in Europe under universal jurisdiction, which allows serious crimes to be prosecuted anywhere.
Five of the ten Gambian plaintiffs attended the hearing at the Higher Appeals Chamber of the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona. Sonko served as interior minister until Jammeh dismissed him in 2016, and his appeal concerns alleged crimes committed between 2000 and 2016.
His lawyer, Philippe Currat, argued that many acts occurred before Swiss legislation came into effect in 2011, saying the conditions for prosecution were not met.
Plaintiffs and prosecutors are also appealing, seeking to extend Sonko’s 20-year sentence to life and include sexual violence, from which he was previously acquitted. Benoit Meystre of TRIAL International said sexual violence was used as a tool of repression in Gambia and should be recognized by the court.
Sonko has spent over nine years in custody, Currat said. Reed Brody of the International Commission of Jurists noted the case could support efforts to prosecute Jammeh-era crimes in Gambia.
Hearings are expected to continue until at least April 17, with a final appeal possible but likely to be held without public hearings.
