Former Gambian interior minister on trial in Switzerland over alleged crimes against humanity

BELLINZONA, Switzerland (AP) — A former interior minister of Gambia is going on trial in Switzerland on charges including crimes against humanity for his alleged role in years of repression by the west African country’s security forces against opponents of its longtime dictator. Advocacy groups hailed the trial of Ousman Sonko, who held the post from 2006 to 2016 under then-President Yahya Jammeh. They say it is a chance to reach a conviction under “universal jurisdiction,” which allows the prosecution of serious crimes committed abroad. Sonko fled to Switzerland in November 2016 and was arrested two months later.