By Gambian Man Sentenced to 67 Years in U.S. for Torture Under Yahya Jammeh Regime
A Gambian man who served in a notorious armed unit loyal to former dictator Yahya Jammeh has been sentenced to more than 67 years in prison by a U.S. court, the Justice Department announced on Friday.
Michael Sang Correa, 46, was convicted in April by a Colorado jury for his role in the torture of several victims in Gambia in 2006. According to the Justice Department, Correa participated in brutal acts including beatings and burning flesh, targeting individuals accused of involvement in a failed coup attempt against Jammeh.
Senior Judge Christine Arguello of the District of Colorado handed Correa a sentence of 810 months in prison after his conviction on one count of conspiracy to commit torture and five counts of torture.
Victims and representatives from non-governmental organizations stand in front of the Higher Regional Court in Celle, Germany. © 2022 Whitney-Martina Nosakhare/HRW.
The case marked the first criminal prosecution over involvement in the feared paramilitary unit known as “the Junglers”, which operated in Gambia’s police state during Jammeh’s 22-year rule. The former president seized power in 1994 and foiled several attempts to overthrow him before he lost a 2016 election.
Correa was arrested in 2020 under a U.S. law criminalizing acts of torture committed abroad. Jammeh, who has lived in exile since 2017, has repeatedly denied ordering or authorizing torture.
The Junglers were a secretive offshoot of the Gambian army that took orders from Jammeh. Rights groups and former victims say they carried out brutalities that worsened after a failed coup in 2006. Suspected coup plotters and other outspoken opponents of Jammeh were taken to the National Intelligence Agency near one of the capital Banjul’s white sand beaches, according to victims. Some found themselves in a torture chamber where they were subjected to electric shocks, beatings and burning with acid, they said.
