Status: 04/23/2022 12:48 p.m
The 46-year-old accused is said to have been a member of the so-called “Junglers”. The special unit is said to have killed people on behalf of the then dictator Yahya Jammeh in Gambia.
The trial against the 46-year-old Gambian Bai L., who is said to be jointly responsible for cruel crimes in Gambia, begins on Monday before the Celle Higher Regional Court. The federal prosecutor accuses him of having been a member of the so-called “Junglers” between 2003 and 2006. This is a special unit of the Gambian armed forces that murdered people for the then dictator with the aim of “intimidating the population and suppressing the opposition”. The accused is said to have been involved in three counts of crimes against humanity in conjunction with murder or attempted murder.
“No Safe Haven for War Criminals”
The fact that this case ended up in court in Celle is due to the principle of universal jurisdiction that Germany applies. Anyone who commits crimes against international law is therefore also liable to prosecution here, even if the crimes were committed abroad. Bai L. later came to Germany as a refugee. In March 2021 he was arrested in Hanover. Whitney-Martina Nosakhare from the human rights organization Human Rights Watch welcomes the fact that Germany is proceeding according to the principle of universal jurisdiction: “With this procedure, Germany is sending a signal that Germany will not be a safe haven for war criminals and will prosecute crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes .”
It threatens life imprisonment
In 2013, L. had already told the Gambian online radio station “Freedom Radio” about the atrocities and contract killings of the “Junglers” in an interview – he was already in Germany by then. He claimed that he was only a driver and that he had never murdered himself – but that he was there and could testify to a lot. The federal prosecutor’s office has now also accused him of being a driver: in 2003, the “Junglers” were therefore commissioned to kill a lawyer. According to the indictment, Bai L. drove the group to the site of the attack. A year later, the special unit murdered a journalist critical of the government. As the driver of a car, Bai L. is said to have helped stop the journalist’s car. According to the indictment, his passenger was one of the shooters. In the third case, Bai L. is said to have driven the victim, a suspected opponent of the president, to the place where he was shot. If convicted, Bai L. faces life imprisonment in Germany.
Important moment for many Gambians
For the relatives and survivors in Gambia who suffered under the rule of then President Yahya Jammeh, the start of the trial in Celle is an important moment, says human rights expert Nosakhare. For many of them it is the first time that a court has taken on the matter. The process gives the relatives hope to finally find out what really happened to their relatives.
Signal to the former dictator?
Yahya Jammeh ruled Gambia for 22 years. After Jammeh failed to recognize an election defeat in 2016, other African states intervened militarily. Since then, Jammeh has lived in exile in Equatorial Guinea. From Whitney-Martina Nosakhare’s point of view, the proceedings in Celle also send a signal to Jammeh: “There are still states that have an interest in ensuring justice and holding those responsible accountable.” Nosakhare believes the trial could pave the way for Jammeh and others involved to be held accountable at some point.
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