A Gambian man, Michael Sang Correa, was convicted by a Colorado jury on torture charges stemming from actions in 2006 connected to the regime of The Gambia's former President, Yahya Jammeh. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, this is the first conviction of a non-U.S. citizen for torture in a federal district court.
Described by officials as a member of an armed unit coined as the "Junglers," Correa partook in horrific acts which included beatings and electrocution. "Michael Sang Correa tried to evade responsibility for his crimes in The Gambia by coming to the United States and hiding his past," said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, as per the U.S. Department of Justice. The successful conviction is a signal that even after a decade, those who commit such acts can be brought to justice.
During the trial, victims relayed their harrowing experiences, detailing how Correa and others subjected them to savage treatment after a coup attempt in The Gambia. One victim recounted the burning of his thigh with hot plastic, while another described being suffocated with a plastic bag over his head. As obtained by the U.S. Department of Justice, Acting U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell emphasized, "The torture inflicted by Michael Sang Correa and his co-conspirators is abhorrent."
After living in the United States for several years, having arrived in December 2016, Correa's past caught up with him following his 2019 arrest. ICE Special Agent in Charge Steve Cagen, overseeing operations in Colorado and other states, said, "Correa chose the wrong country to try to escape from justice." Charged in 2020, Correa now faces up to 20 years in prison for each count, as noted by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The prosecution was led by members of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Colorado, with vital support from HSI agents in Senegal and U.S. Embassy personnel in The Gambia. The public is encouraged to report any information regarding human rights violators in the United States via the HSI tip line or email.
