Former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh “handpicked” women to rape or sexually coerce by offering cash, gifts and other privileges, international rights groups alleged.
In a statement released today, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Swiss NGO TRIAL International said three women accused Jammeh of rape and sexual assault while he was in office between 1996 and 2017.
Jammeh’s administration was notorious for its brutality and corruption, but it was the first time that sexual abuse of women was extensively and publicly documented.
HRW’s legal counsel Reed Brody was quoted by Al Jazeera News as saying, that Yahya Jammeh treated Gambian women like his personal property.
He added that “Rape and sexual assault are crimes and Jammeh is not above the law – and no woman is beneath it.
