CSU Law Students Support Accountability in The Gambia Accountability Project

CSU College of Law students, under the supervision of International Law Center Director and Professor Milena Sterio, are assisting prosecutors in The Gambia with evidence gathering and other research through the Gambia Accountability Project, which supports the Special Tribunal for The Gambia.

Project student associates include Morgan Malone, Hailey Moran, Emma Prusha, Cael Shaw, Yulia Engman, Grace Hays, Alexander Munster and Nura Latif.

“CSU College of Law students, through this project, will be able to provide research, evidentiary, and legal assistance to prosecutors in the Gambia, on an ongoing basis and as needed. As you can imagine, prosecutors in the Gambia are operating on a shoestring budget and do not routinely have access to this type of ongoing legal assistance,” said Sterio. 

“The student work will be immensely beneficials to the Gambia, and at the same time, through this work CSU law students will be able to hone their research legal skills and gain valuable practicing experience.”

The Special Tribunal for The Gambia is a hybrid regional court officially established Dec. 15, 2024, by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to prosecute gross human rights violations and international crimes committed during the 1994-2017 regime of former dictator Yahya Jammeh.

The tribunal uses a hybrid model of accountability, with Gambian and international judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys. Its jurisdiction covers crimes committed between 1994 and 2017, including international crimes such as murder, torture, rape and enforced disappearance.

“This project will allows CSU law students to develop research and legal analysis skills which will be incredibly valuable to them as practicing attorneys, and which will enhance their careers and turn them into more attractive candidates on the job market,” said Sterio. “In addition, this project will position CSU as a leading institution in international law and within those involved in international accountability efforts.”

CSU College of Law students will assist the tribunal prosecutor in gathering so-called linkage evidence connecting former President Yahya Jammeh to the commission of these crimes. Students will focus on creating a database of Jammeh’s public statements and other pronouncements, as well as accompanying military decrees and executive orders.

“I hope that students will continue to develop research and legal analysis skills; that they will gain further exposure into The Gambia and into the field of international criminal law,” said Sterio. “I also hope that they will develop professional relationships with international prosecutors in The Gambia; and that this professional experience will enhance their careers.”

This linkage evidence will help the prosecutor demonstrate Jammeh’s responsibility as a political and/or military commander. The Gambia Accountability Project is the first project of its kind at CSU and is conducted under the auspices of the CSU College of Law International Law Center.