Swiss court convicts a former interior minister of Gambia for crimes against humanity

GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland’s top criminal court has convicted a former interior minister of Gambia for crimes against humanity during repression by the west African country’s security forces against opponents of its longtime dictator. Legal advocacy group Trial International said Wednesday that Ousman Sonko, Gambia’s interior minister from 2006 to 2016 under then-President Yahya Jammeh, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The trial that began in January was seen by advocacy groups as an opportunity to reach a conviction under “universal jurisdiction,” which allows the prosecution of serious crimes committed abroad. The verdict was read out in Swiss federal criminal court in southern Bellinzona on Wednesday.