A Gambian former interior minister, OUSMAN SONKO has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by a court in Switzerland for crimes against humanity committed when President YAHYA JAMMEH was in power.

SONKO fled to Switzerland in 2016 and claimed asylum, shortly before JAMMEH was voted out of office.

Non-governmental organisations presented evidence of atrocities committed against the former president's political opponents.

A prosecutor said SONKO was convicted for killings, torture, and false imprisonment.

According to the prosecutor, the conviction sends a resounding message against impunity.

Switzerland tried the case under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows countries to prosecute people for crimes that took place elsewhere.