Case

Bai L.

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Context

30 November 2023 11:23

Historic conviction in Germany of a former member of a Gambian death squad for crimes against humanity

Group photo in front of the Oberlandesgericht in Celle, Germany. — Back row from left to right: Patrick Kroker, lawyer; Omar Nyassi and Baba Hydara, 2 of the plaintiffs. Front row: Nicola Bier, Legal Adviser RSF Germany; Babaka Mputu, Legal Adviser TRIAL International.

Bai L., a former member of the paramilitary unit known as the “Junglers”, created by former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a German court for two murders and an attempted murder constituting crimes against humanity. This is the first trial to be held on the basis of universal jurisdiction for crimes committed during Mr Jammeh’s presidency. The judgment is of major significance, not only for the four plaintiffs in the trial, but also for all the victims and survivors of these crimes.

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28 November 2023 11:37

Questions and Answers on first German trial for serious crimes committed in The Gambia

TRIAL International has put together a series of frequently asked questions about the case of Bai L., former member of the Gambian paramilitary unit also known as the “Junglers”, created under former dictator Yahya Jammeh. It exists in English, French and German.

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29 January 2023 11:47

Germany/Gambia: Migrant Massacre Survivor to Testify

Alleged Gambian ‘Death Squad’ Driver’s Trial Progresses

Martin Kyere, the only survivor of the migrant massacre, in front of his portrait at the Memory House in Aneked. Gambia, 2022

A Ghanaian citizen who survived the massacre of approximately 59 West African migrants in July 2005 by a paramilitary ‘death squad’ in Gambia will testify before a court on 19 January 2023 in the German city of Celle, ANEKED, Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists, the Solo Sandeng Foundation and TRIAL International said today. The death squad was allegedly set up by the then-Gambian President Yahya Jammeh. The trial is of Bai L. who was allegedly involved in the killings.

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6 October 2022 11:53

Survivor to testify at German Trial of Alleged Gambian ‘Death Squad’ Driver

A woman who survived the murder of the renowned Gambian journalist and newspaper editor Deyda Hydara, testified on 6 and 7 October 2022 in the German city of Celle at the trial of Bai L., a man allegedly involved in the killing.

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21 April 2022 12:01

Germany Tries Crimes Against Humanity Committed in Gambia – Universal Jurisdiction Advances Justice For Victims

©Human Rights Watch – Les “Junglers”unité paramilitaire formée par l’ancien Président gambien Yahya Jammeh, dont Bai L. était membre

The opening of the first German trial for serious crimes committed in Gambia is a major step for justice, Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists, Reporters Without Borders, and TRIAL International said today. The groups released a question-and-answer document on the trial, which opens on 25 April 2022, and will hold an online briefing on 21 April.

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14 March 2022 12:07

The Gambia : alleged “death squad” member indicted in Germany

Major Advance for Victims of Abuses During Yahya Jammeh Rule

Portrait of Baba Hydara, son of the journalist murdered in 2004 and member of the Gambian Center for victims of human rights violations. © Will Baxter / TRIAL International

The indictment in Germany, announced on 03.03.2022, of an alleged former Gambian “death squad” member suspected of crimes against humanity is an important step for Gambian victims and international justice, TRIAL International and the International Commission of Jurists said today.

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Bai L. is a Gambian citizen who is alleged to have been a member of the “Junglers” death squad, a paramilitary unit created by the former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh. He was accused of involvement in two murders and three attempted murders between 2003 and 2006.

After fleeing The Gambia for Germany in 2012, Bai L. gave two interviews, one to a Gambian opposition radio station based in the United States in 2013, and one to a leading Gambian journalist in 2014. In those interviews, he described in great detail the killings and shootings in which he participated as a driver for the Junglers.

TRIAL International and the ECCHR informed the German prosecuting authorities in 2019 of the suspect’s presence on German territory. Bai L. has been in pretrial detention since his arrest in 2021. His trial began on 25 April 2022 in front of the Higher Regional Court of Celle. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for two murders and an attempted murder constituting crimes against humanity on 30 November 2023.

This was the first trial held on the basis of the principle of universal jurisdiction for human rights violations committed in The Gambia during Yahya Jammeh’s presidency.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Yahya Jammeh’s 1994-2017 rule was marked by systematic oppression of real or perceived opponents, which resulted in serious human rights violations, including torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance, and sexual violence. Many of these human rights cimes were brought to light during the hearings of The Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), which was set up in 2018. Witnesses at the TRRC, including direct perpetrators, linked Jammeh to the killing and torture of political opponents, the murder of 59 West African migrants and “witch hunts”, in which hundreds of people were arbitrarily detained, among other crimes. They also alleged that Jammeh raped and sexually assaulted women and ran a sham HIV-treatment program.