Gambia Appoints British Barrister as Special Prosecutor for Jammeh-Era Human Rights Abuses
Martin Hackett tasked with leading prosecutions for crimes committed under former President Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year rule
- Martin Hackett appointed as The Gambia’s first special prosecutor for Jammeh-era human rights abuses
- TRRC documented widespread repression, killings, and disappearances under Jammeh, recommending prosecutions and reparations
- Hackett’s prior experience includes the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon and Kosovo war crimes investigations
The Gambia has named British barrister Martin Hackett as its first special prosecutor to hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations during the 22-year presidency of Yahya Jammeh, who went into exile in 2017.
Hackett will lead a newly established office focused on prosecuting cases from a period marked by widespread repression, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances.
The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) was created to document these abuses and, in its final report delivered to President Adama Barrow in 2021, identified the most responsible individuals and recommended their prosecution.
The TRRC, which collected testimony from victims, former security operatives, and other witnesses, also recommended reparations for survivors, warning that ignoring accountability could perpetuate impunity. Phased compensation has begun, starting with victims of abuses committed shortly after Jammeh seized power in the 1994 coup.
For many survivors, however, justice remains more important than financial compensation. Some of the TRRC’s most notorious cases include the 2004 killing of journalist Deyda Hydara and the execution of over 50 mainly West African migrants falsely accused of plotting a coup.
A few perpetrators have already been convicted abroad under universal jurisdiction, including former members of the feared paramilitary unit “the Junglers,” with convictions in Germany and the United States.
Hackett, who previously served at the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon and investigated war crimes in Kosovo, is widely seen as a significant step toward achieving domestic accountability. Attorney General Dawda Jallow confirmed that Hackett was selected from a competitive pool of candidates and will serve a four-year mandate.
Jammeh, who refused to cooperate with the TRRC, only left office after regional intervention following his defeat in the 2016 elections. Now 60, he is reportedly living in exile in Equatorial Guinea and continues to deny any wrongdoing.
