Gambia: Women Accuse Ex-President of Sexual Violence
Investigate Yahya Jammeh for Rape, Sexual Assault

Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year rule in Gambia was marked by widespread abuses, including forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and arbitrary detention. He sought exile in Equatorial Guinea in January 2017 after losing the December 2016 presidential election to Adama Barrow.
In October 2017, Gambian and international rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, launched the “Campaign to Bring Yahya Jammeh and his Accomplices to Justice” (#Jammeh2Justice), which calls for prosecuting Jammeh and others who bear the greatest responsibility for his government’s crimes under international fair trial standards.
Human Rights Watch’s work on the Campaign is coordinated by Reed Brody, who earlier assisted the victims in the landmark prosecution of former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré.
Multimedia
Meet the Beauty Queen Who Inspired Gambia’s Me Too Movement After Accusing Ex-Dictator of Rape, Democracy Now (September 19, 2019)
Breaking the Silence: Gambian Beauty Queen Publicly Accuses Former Dictator of Rape, Democracy Now (September 20, 2019)
Breaking the Silence: Gambian Beauty Queen Publicly Accuses Former Dictator of Rape, Democracy Now (September 20, 2019)
Investigate Yahya Jammeh for Rape, Sexual Assault
Ghanaian Groups Urge Prosecution of Yahya Jammeh
November 28, 2023
Human Rights Watch joined 14 other groups in issuing the following statement
Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) Recommendations Should Be Followed by Accountability
Government Should Initiate Procedures to Investigate Yahya Jammeh, Associates
Major Advance for Victims of Abuses During Yahya Jammeh Rule
Testimony Linking Yahya Jammeh to 2005 Murders Demands Justice
Ex-President Jammeh Linked to 2005 Murder of 59 West African Migrants