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Bernard Ntaganda, a well-known opposition figure and critic of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, was May 14 denied the opportunity to participate in the upcoming July presidential elections. The High Court upheld prior convictions that disqualify him from public office, rejecting his appeal Tuesday.
At 55, Ntaganda sought judicial relief to have his convictions annulled, which would enable him to contest in the elections. Rwandan legislation prohibits individuals who have served more than six months in prison from holding public office. The court’s decision to deny his appeal was primarily based on his alleged failure to settle legal fees from his previous trial. Despite Ntaganda’s assertions that he had fulfilled all financial obligations, the court ruled that he did not meet the necessary legal requirements to have his conviction overturned.
Ntaganda’s political aspirations were first interrupted in 2010 when he was arrested ahead of the elections in which he planned to run. Released in 2014, he had served time for charges that included organizing unauthorized protests and endangering state security.
This court ruling comes shortly after another opposition leader, Victoire Ingabire, faced similar restrictions. In March, the court refused to lift a ban preventing Ingabire, who was released in 2018 after eight years of imprisonment, from participating in the elections. Her charges included undermining state security and minimizing the significance of the 1994 genocide.
Former Gambian Minister Jailed for 20 Years in Swiss Trial
In a historic verdict, a Swiss court sentenced Ousman Sonko, the Gambia’s former interior minister under Yahya Jammeh, to 20 years in prison for crimes against humanity. Sonko, who fled to Switzerland seeking asylum in 2016 after Jammeh’s ouster, was found guilty of overseeing killings, torture, and false imprisonment of political opponents during Jammeh’s regime.
The conviction marks a significant victory for justice. Non-governmental organizations presented harrowing evidence of atrocities committed against dissenters, bolstering the prosecution’s case. Philip Grant, director of Trial International, the NGO that initiated the complaint, hailed the verdict as “a resounding message against impunity.”
This landmark case was made possible by Switzerland’s application of universal jurisdiction, a legal principle that allows nations to prosecute individuals for international crimes regardless of where they were committed. Sonko became the highest-ranking official ever tried under this principle in Europe.
Meanwhile, former president Yahya Jammeh, who resides in exile in Equatorial Guinea, also faces accusations of human rights abuses. The international community is hopeful that Sonko’s conviction will pave the way for further accountability for Jammeh and others who perpetrated crimes during his regime.
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