Jungler Bai Lowe to go on trial in Germany

Bai Lowe, one of the alleged exiled President Yahya Jammeh’s hit squad men will be tried in a German court for his alleged crimes of humanity.

As the Gambian government examines how to respond to the TRRC’s recommendation that Yahya Jammeh and his accomplices face prosecution, the first trial of one of Jammeh’s Junglers will begin on April 25 2022 in Germany.

Bai Lowe, a driver for the Junglers, will face charges in a German court for attempted murder of lawyer Ousman Sillah in 2003, as well as the murders of journalist Deyda Hydara in 2004, and of Dawda Nyassi in 2006.

Victims and activists have hailed the case and rated it as a major step forward for crimes of the Jammeh era.

“The long arm of the law is catching up to Yahya Jammeh and his accomplices around the world,” said Reed Brody of the International Commission of Jurists who works with Jammeh’s victims. “Jammeh’s henchmen have been arrested in Germany, Switzerland and the United States, and the TRRC has called for the prosecution of his accomplices in The Gambia, and of Jammeh himself.”

“Everyone involved in the murder of my dad will face justice, and we won’t stop until each one of them is brought to court of law.” said Baba Hydara, son of Deyda Hydara and a plaintiff in the German prosecution.

In advance of the opening of the trial, the human rights groups are organizing a virtual briefing on Thursday April 21 at 3 pm GMT at which experts and victims will discuss the Bai Lowe case and the wider efforts in The Gambia to seek accountability for the crimes of Yahya Jammeh government.