Gambia panel recommends trial of former President Yahya Jammeh News of Sexual Assault News

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission says the former leader was responsible for murder, torture and rape during his 22-year tenure.

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Former Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh is expected to stand trial on charges of murder, torture and rape, according to a new report. commission was established after fleeing exile five years ago.

A long-standing report released on Friday night calls for the creation of a special international tribunal to try Jammeh and others in West Africa but outside the Gambia.

“Within 22 years, starting July 22, 1994, Yahya Jammeh and … the perpetrators committed very serious crimes against the Gambian people,” the report of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Committee said.

The commission was set up in January 2017 by President Adama Barrow, and the 2016 election put an end to more than 20 years of dictatorship.

Report based on years witness testimonies, was already presented to Barrow, but it was the first time the full discovery, which was published online on Friday, was made public.

Gambian Justice Minister Dawda A Jallow said the government was “committed to implementing the report” but would not release any documents until May to find out how it intends to proceed.

Reed Brody told the International Jurassic Commission that he hoped to increase pressure on the Gambian leader, “without delay to provide justice to victims who have already waited five years, and in some cases much more.”

“There’s still a lot to do, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Yahya Jammeh in court first,” said Brody, who also played an important role in bringing former Chadian president Hissene Habre. trial in a special court in Senegal.

The #Gambia Truth Commission recommends trial of former President Yahya Jammeh and his accomplices in Gambia and a “hybrid” international tribunal????➡️ pic.twitter.com/OHXJ15VUDc

– Reed Brody ????⚖️ (@ReedBrody) December 24, 2021

Jammeh, who ruled the Gambia for 22 years, lost the 2016 presidential election but failed to defeat Barrow. Eventually, he was exiled to Equatorial Guinea in the midst of threats from a regional military intervention to force him out of power.

It is unclear whether Equatorial Guinean authorities will extradite Jammeh if criminal charges are filed.

The Truth Commission was ordered to establish an impartial historical record of the abuses committed between July 1994 and January 2017.

The former leader was exiled to Equatorial Guinea in 2017 after Barrow’s election victory, but remains a strong supporter in the country.

The more than two-year hearings that led to the report documented the human rights violations and atrocities that took place under Jammeh’s rule.

Human rights groups say arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and summary executions have become a feature of the regime. Testimony by the perpetrators to the Truth Commission confirmed that some of the murders were committed under Jammeh’s orders.

The commission’s report also said Jammeh raped women, including Fatou Jallow, who later testified before the panel and published a book about her ordeal earlier this year.

Jammeh denies any wrongdoing.