Gambian On Trial In Germany Over AFP Reporter Murder

Celle, Germany, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Apr, 2022 ) :A Gambian man went on trial in Germany Monday, accused of belonging to a death squad that assassinated opponents of former dictator Yahya Jammeh, including an AFP journalist.

The suspect, identified by media as Bai Lowe, is accused of crimes against humanity, murder and attempted murder, including the 2004 killing of AFP correspondent Deyda Hydara.

Lowe, 46, wore a black hooded coat and hid his face behind a green folder as he arrived in court in the northern town of Celle.

The trial is "the first to prosecute human rights violations committed in Gambia during the Jammeh era on the basis of universal jurisdiction", according to Human Rights Watch.

Universal jurisdiction allows a foreign country to prosecute crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide, regardless of where they were committed.

Outside the courtroom, activists held a placard demanding that Jammeh "and his accomplices be brought to justice".

Lowe is accused of involvement in two murders and one attempted murder while working as a driver for the hit squad known as the Junglers between December 2003 and December 2006.

"This unit was used by the then-president of Gambia to carry out illegal killing orders, among other things" with the aim of "intimidating the Gambian population and suppressing the opposition", according to Federal prosecutors.

Hydara, 58, was gunned down in his car on the outskirts of the Gambian capital Banjul on December 16, 2004.

Lowe is accused of having helped stop Hydara's car before driving one of the killers in his own vehicle.

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