FILE PHOTO: A general view shows the Swiss Federal Criminal Court (Bundesstrafgericht) in Bellinzona, Switzerland June 8, 2022. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo
GENEVA (Reuters) - Switzerland's first full trial of crimes against humanity concluded this week, with the defendant, a former Gambian minister accused of rape and murder, giving a defiant closing speech in which he claimed to be a victim of racism and lies.
Ousman Sonko, a former interior minister of Gambia under ousted dictator Yahya Jammeh, is the highest-ranking official ever to be tried in Europe using universal jurisdiction which allows the most serious crimes to be prosecuted anywhere.
