A Human Rights Lawyer Backs a New Court.
Femi Falana is a Nigerian lawyer who protects human rights. He says a new court in The Gambia is a good thing.
The court will try Yahya Jammeh. Mr. Jammeh used to be the president of The Gambia. Many people say he did very bad things when he was in charge.
Mr. Jammeh left The Gambia in 2016. He lives in another country now. But the new court wants to bring him back. They want him to face charges for crimes like murder and torture.
Countries in West Africa agreed to start this special court in December 2024. The court will examine events that happened while Mr. Jammeh was president from 1994 to 2017.
Mr. Falana said this court sends a strong message to leaders that they cannot get away with hurting people. He said it is the first time these countries have worked together like this.
The Gambia had a group looking into what happened under Mr. Jammeh. They found that many people were killed by his government. This helped lead to the new court.
Last year, another court in Switzerland found one of Mr. Jammeh's helpers guilty. The man had been a minister in The Gambia. He will be jailed for 20 years.
Mr. Falana praised the lawyers in The Gambia. He said they did good work to help make the new court happen, which means Mr. Jammeh can be tried in Africa, not far away.
The lawyer thinks this court is important. He believes it will help bring justice for people who were hurt under the old president.
Femi Falana is a Nigerian lawyer who protects human rights. He says a new court in The Gambia is a good thing.
The court will try Yahya Jammeh. Mr. Jammeh used to be the president of The Gambia. Many people say he did very bad things when he was in charge.
Mr. Jammeh left The Gambia in 2016. He lives in another country now. But the new court wants to bring him back. They want him to face charges for crimes like murder and torture.
Countries in West Africa agreed to start this special court in December 2024. The court will examine events that happened while Mr. Jammeh was president from 1994 to 2017.
Mr. Falana said this court sends a strong message to leaders that they cannot get away with hurting people. He said it is the first time these countries have worked together like this.
The Gambia had a group looking into what happened under Mr. Jammeh. They found that many people were killed by his government. This helped lead to the new court.
Last year, another court in Switzerland found one of Mr. Jammeh's helpers guilty. The man had been a minister in The Gambia. He will be jailed for 20 years.
Mr. Falana praised the lawyers in The Gambia. He said they did good work to help make the new court happen, which means Mr. Jammeh can be tried in Africa, not far away.
The lawyer thinks this court is important. He believes it will help bring justice for people who were hurt under the old president.
