Gambian ex-minister stays behind bars

A former Gambian interior minister who applied for asylum in Switzerland has been remanded in custody for at least three months. He is under investigation for suspected crimes against humanity. Last week a Bernese court ordered the arrest of Ousman Sonko, who served under Yahya Jammeh, the dictator who ruled the West African country for 22 years. Sonko commanded an elite squad in Gambia notorious for its brutality. He was sacked by Jammeh and then fled for Europe. He has been living in an asylum centre in canton Bern since last November. The court had to make a decision to either free him or investigate him 48 hours after his initial arrest. On Monday, it released its ruling that Sonko would remain in custody until investigations are complete into allegations of human rights abuses. Sonko first tried to obtain asylum in Sweden back in September, before fleeing to Switzerland, where he filed an asylum application. He was in possession of a Swiss-issued Schengen visa ...

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