Verdict in the trial against ex-military man from Gambia on Thursday
The verdict in the trial against a 48-year-old from Gambia, who is on trial for crimes against humanity, murder and attempted murder, is expected on Thursday. The defense has requested that the accused be acquitted, while the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office has demanded a life sentence, the Higher Regional Court of Celle announced on Monday. The 48-year-old had denied involvement in the crime. The man was arrested in Hanover in March 2021 and has been in custody since then.
According to the federal prosecutor's office, the 48-year-old is alleged to have carried out illegal killing orders as a member of a notorious special unit of the Gambian armed forces. Specifically, he is alleged to have driven accomplices to the crime scenes in three cases. At the end of 2003, a lawyer survived several gunshots with serious injuries, a year later a journalist critical of the government was killed and probably in 2006, members of the unit known as the "Junglers" allegedly shot dead a suspected opponent of Gambian President Yahya Jammeh.
Jammeh had ruled the small West African country as dictator for 22 years. The ex-president, who went into exile in Equatorial Guinea after being voted out of office in early 2017, is accused of numerous human rights violations.
According to the Higher Regional Court, the proceedings against the man are the first criminal proceedings against an alleged member of the special unit to be brought to a close.
Source: www.dpa.com
