A former member of Gambia’s military was convicted in federal court on Tuesday for torturing five individuals accused of involvement in a failed coup against the West African country’s long-time dictator nearly two decades ago, marking a rare prosecution in the United States for torture committed abroad.
Jurors at the week-long trial in Denver found Michael Sang Correa guilty of being part of a conspiracy to commit torture against suspected opponents while serving in a military unit known as the ‘Junglers,’ which reported directly to Yahya Jammeh.
Correa arrived in the U.S. in 2016 to work as a bodyguard for Jammeh and eventually settled in Denver, where prosecutors say he found work as a day laborer.
Correa, who prosecutors claim overstayed his visa, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2019 and subsequently indicted under a seldom-used law that permits prosecution in the U.S. judicial system for torture allegedly committed abroad.
This law has been invoked only twice since 1994, with both previous cases involving U.S. citizens.
The U.S. Department of Justice stated that Correa’s conviction is the first of a non-U.S. citizen on torture charges in a federal district court.
Steve Cagen, the head of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations’ Denver office, emphasized, ‘If you commit these atrocities in your country, don’t come to the United States and seek refuge.’
Demba Dem, a former member of the Gambian parliament who testified about being tortured by Correa and others, was present in the packed courtroom to hear the verdict.
Dem described the outcome as ‘a victory of democracy, a victory of all the victims,’ reflecting on those who suffered and those who have since passed away.
Survivors like Dem traveled from Gambia, Europe, and other regions of the U.S. to testify, sharing accounts of brutal torture methods, such as being electrocuted, hung upside down while beaten, and having plastic bags placed over their heads.
Prosecutors presented the jury with harrowing images of victims displaying scars inflicted by bayonets, burning cigarettes, ropes, and other instruments.
The men were asked to circle and explain their scars on photographs, vividly illustrating the horrors they endured.
Members of the media from Gambia attended the trial in Denver, alongside immigrants now living in the U.S., including sisters Dr. Jaye Ceesay and Olay Jabbi who attended to support other victims of the regime.
They shared their heart-wrenching story about how their brother was killed by Junglers after he returned to Gambia in 2013 to open a computer school for children.
The defense contended that Correa was a low-ranking private who faced the threat of torture and death if he disobeyed superiors, arguing that he had no choice in participating, and therefore was not part of a conspiracy.
One of Correa’s lawyers declined to comment following the verdict.
However, the U.S. government acknowledged during the trial that while evidence indicated some Junglers lived in ‘constant fear,’ others within the unit chose to refuse participation in the acts of torture.
Yahya Jammeh, who seized power in a coup from the country’s first president in 1994, survived three significant coup attempts, breeding a profound suspicion towards the very military personnel he depended on to maintain his reign.
For over 22 years, Jammeh has faced allegations of ordering torture, imprisonment, and murders of political opponents.
He lost the 2016 presidential election and fled to Equatorial Guinea in 2017 after initially refusing to concede.
In 2021, a truth commission in Gambia recommended the prosecution of those who committed crimes under Jammeh’s rule.
Other countries have pursued legal action against individuals associated with his regime; last year, a Swiss court sentenced Jammeh’s former interior minister to 20 years for crimes against humanity.
In 2023, a German court convicted a Gambian Jungler of murder and crimes against humanity for his involvement in the execution of government critics.
Human rights advocates in Gambia are hopeful that those responsible for torture during Jammeh’s regime will also face accountability in their homeland.
Kadijatou Kuyateh, spokesperson for the Alliance of Victim-Led Organisations, remarked, ‘Correa’s conviction is very significant in the quest for justice for victims of human rights violations, but many Junglers and other human rights abusers continue living in impunity. Some are even living freely in Banjul.’
Correa now faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years for each of the six counts on which he was convicted.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the lawyers determine when survivors are able to return to Denver to discuss the impact of Correa’s actions on their lives.
image source from：https://www.cpr.org/2025/04/15/gambian-ex-soldier-living-in-colorado-convicted-at-us-trial-of-torturing-suspected-backers-of-a-failed-2006-coup/
