Ex-Gambian minister jailed for crime against humanity

In a landmark ruling utilizing universal jurisdiction in Europe, a former government minister from Gambia faced justice in a Swiss court. 

Ousman Sonko, once a part of ex-dictator Yahya Jammeh's regime, received a 20-year prison sentence for crimes against humanity. 

The Federal Criminal Court found Sonko guilty of intentional homicide, torture, and false imprisonment, though he was acquitted of rape.

The verdict marked a significant moment as Sonko became the highest-ranking official tried by a European country under universal jurisdiction, which permits the prosecution of the gravest offenses regardless of where they occurred. 

A Geneva-based advocacy group initiated the original case against Sonko.

Throughout the trial, Sonko vehemently denied the charges, accusing the plaintiffs of falsehoods. 

He also criticized his seven-year pre-trial detention, during which he claimed to have endured periods of solitary confinement. 

Sonko's rift with Jammeh emerged in the twilight of the dictator's 22-year rule, culminating in Jammeh's forced exile to Equatorial Guinea following an electoral defeat in January 2017. 

Sonko himself was apprehended in Switzerland that same month while attempting to seek asylum.