Ousman Sonko

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Ousman Sonko at the signing of the agreement to ban cluster bombs in Oslo 2008

Ousman Sonko (born January 9, 1969 in Serrekunda ) is a former Gambian politician. He has been Minister of the Interior in Yahya Jammeh's cabinet since 2006 . In January 2017, he was arrested in Switzerland , where he had applied for asylum , on suspicion of crimes against humanity .

Life

Sonko completed his secondary education before joining the Gambia National Army (GNA), the army of the Gambian armed forces , in January 1988 . In November 1994 he was promoted to lieutenant and in March 2000 to captain . A promotion to Major in September 2004. By 2005, he was commanding officer of the 1st Infantry - Battalion . During his military service, Sonko attended courses in Pakistan , Nigeria and Taiwan and took part in United Nations military operations ( UNAMSIL ) in Sierra Leone .

As a close confidante of the then president, Sonko served briefly as commander of the Gambia Presidential Guard in the State House . In February 2005 he was appointed Inspector General of Police ( English Inspector General of Police , IGP) appointed after his predecessor Landing Badjie this item was removed.

Sonko was appointed interior minister in Jammeh's cabinet in November 2006. He replaced the former GNA officer Colonel Baboucarr Jatta . He was released from the cabinet on September 16, 2016. Oppositionists accuse Sonko of being responsible for crimes committed by the Gambian security forces, such as the shooting at a student protest that left nine dead, the killing of a journalist and the enforced disappearances .

In November 2016 he exhibited in the Swiss canton of Bern an application for asylum after his application was rejected in Sweden and he was transferred to Switzerland because he possessed from his time as interior minister over a letter issued by Switzerland's Schengen visa. On January 26, 2017, the Bern police arrested him after the “ Rundschau ” program on Swiss television SRF revealed his presence in Switzerland and the Geneva-based NGO TRIAL filed a criminal complaint against him for crimes against humanity . Since then, Sonko has been in custody in Switzerland .

Awards and honors

literature

Web links

Commons : Ousman Sonko  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gambia: Gambia's Dictator Fires His Longtime Interior Minister Ousman Sonko; NIA Political Director Fired; Army Band Personnel Absconded! - Freedom Newspaper. In: freedomnewspaper.com. Retrieved January 26, 2017 (American English).
  2. ↑ a b The alleged crimes of Ousman Sonko , Der Bund , January 25, 2017
  3. ↑ St. Galler Tagblatt AG: Gambia: Ex-Minister is said to be an asylum seeker . In: St. Galler Tagblatt Online . ( tagblatt.ch ( memento of March 7, 2018 in the Internet Archive )).
  4. ↑ Under suspicion of torture: Ex-Gambian minister is in Switzerland as an asylum seeker. Swiss radio and television, accessed on January 25, 2017.
  5. ^ Franziska Ramser: SRF News: Under suspicion of torture - Gambian ex-minister is in Switzerland as an asylum seeker. January 25, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017 .
  6. ↑ Sonko picked up by the police , Der Bund , January 26, 2017
  7. ↑ Suspicion confirmed - Sonko remains in custody. In: srf.ch . November 1, 2019, accessed November 2, 2019 .
  8. ↑ Gambia: President Confers Awards On Over 700 Personalities Celebration of the Prestigious Awards Conferred On His Excellency & Awards Ceremony of the July 22nd Revolution. In: The Daily Observer. August 22, 2016, accessed January 30, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Sonko, Ousman
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Gambian politician
DATE OF BIRTH January 9, 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH Serrekunda