Former Interior minister in the Jammeh administration Ousman Sonko was today arrested by Switzerland authorities for illegally entering the country. Mr. Sonko fled to Sweden in September 2016 when he fell apart with Gambia’s worst dictator Yahya Jammeh. Ousman Sonko is accused of overseeing brutal human rights violation and committing heinous crimes during his ten years tenure as minister of interior.
In September 2016 Mr. Sonko fled the Gambia in fear of facing the same brutality that he has carried out and witnessed during the Jammeh administration. He landed in Sweden where his asylum application was rejected on technical grounds his first of entry was not Sweden. He was then send back to Spain which was his first point of entry in Europe. Not too comfortable in Spain Mr. Sonko remained silenced until his former boss was defeated in the December elections. Sonko like his boss now in exile has been looking for a more comfortable place to seek asylum and protection. He reportedly entered Switzerland illegally and was arrested by Swiss authorities.
The arrest of Mr. Sonko has been confirmed by Swiss prosecution who reported that Ousman is currently being interrogated for alleged crimes committed in the Gambia. According to trial International Mr. Sonko is likely for face charges of crimes he allegedly committed during the Jammeh regime. Mr. Sonko while an interior minister was a central figure for carrying out Jammeh’s brutal crimes against Gambian citizens. He is alleged to have been personally involved in the assasination of Gambia’s seasoned Journalist Deyda Hydara who was assassinated for opposing the dictatorial regime of Yahya Jammeh. Mr. Sonko has a first hand knowledge of all the crimes that were committed during the Jammeh regime.
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..And directly under his (Ousman)’s chain of command were those sent from the Gambia’s interior ministry to Switzerland and other E.U countries, to help the Swiss authorities and others respectively, invalidate Gambian dessidents’ assylum petitions. That was a bad thing to do to Gambian dessidents in the diaspora under the a Jammeh Sonko ruthless dictatorship. They turn down most assylum petitioners as economic assylees.
The new government should let the GRTS to the diaspora to interview Gambians in all parts of Europe if they are to make wise foreign policies with regards to develpoment partnerships and diplomatic ties. The E.U is geographically large and not all member countries are a home for the refugee.
In certain countries, they are subjects of police exercise and in others the are objects for hard and hand-to-mouth labor, literally slaves. Hope as customary, the Gambian will be a regular traveller again.
What comes around goes around sonko’s hands is full of blood he is the one behind the killing of deyda hydara .
Being arrested in Switzerland puts Mr Sonko in the hands of one of the leading advocators of Human Rights in the world. When tried, what will be revealed if the allegations of the Dictatorship are founded, will lead to a widespread hunt for all the perpetrators of inhumanity in the Gambia and a strong will to bring them to justice.