Keypoints:
- Gambian man tried in U.S. for torture
- Defence cites fear, prosecution disputes
- Rare U.S. use of global torture statute
A FORMER Gambian soldier accused of torturing people suspected of plotting a failed coup against ex-dictator Yahya Jammeh is now on trial in the United States. The case, reported by the Associated Press (AP), represents a rare application of a US law allowing the prosecution of torture committed abroad.
Michael Sang Correa, once a low-ranking member of Gambia’s military, faces six charges related to his alleged role in the brutal treatment of detainees during the 2006 coup attempt. He is accused of being part of the ‘Junglers,’ a paramilitary unit that reported directly to Jammeh and was infamous for executing the former leader’s orders without question.
Defence claims coercion, prosecutors argue choice
Correa’s lawyer, Jared Westbroek, opened his defence by arguing that Correa acted under duress. He told jurors that disobeying orders in Gambia’s military could have led to torture or death, leaving his client with no real choice.
‘Following an order is not the same as making an agreement,’ Westbroek said, urging jurors to consider the context of fear under Jammeh’s authoritarian regime. He described Gambia as a country where resisting power came at a deadly cost.
But federal prosecutors disagreed. Marie Zisa, a lawyer with the US Department of Justice’s human rights division, told the court that Correa is responsible for his own actions. She noted that other Junglers chose not to participate in acts of torture.
‘The defendant is on trial today because of the choices he made,’ Zisa said, pointing to allegations that Correa personally inflicted or assisted in brutal punishments.
Allegations of violent abuse and lingering trauma
According to AP reports, Zisa detailed graphic instances of abuse during her opening statement. One soldier was allegedly stuffed into a bag, suspended in the air, and violently dropped. Others were beaten for hours, sometimes before they were even questioned.
Zisa added: ‘The victims have not forgotten his cruelty.’
The prosecution’s first witness, Dr. Maggie Dwyer, a senior lecturer in African studies at the University of Edinburgh, provided context on Gambia’s political history. She described how Jammeh, who seized power in a 1994 coup, ruled the country for 22 years with an iron grip, repeatedly purging the military amid fears of betrayal.
Correa came to the United States in December 2016, serving briefly as Jammeh’s bodyguard before the former dictator was ousted and fled to Equatorial Guinea. Correa remained in the US after overstaying his visa and had reportedly been living in Denver as a day labourer until his 2020 indictment.
A rare trial under US global torture law
Correa’s case is only the third time the United States has invoked a 1994 law permitting the trial of individuals for torture committed outside the country. According to Human Rights Watch, the first conviction involved Charles ‘Chuckie’ Taylor Jr., son of former Liberian president Charles Taylor, who was sentenced in 2008. The second, Ross Roggio, was convicted in 2023 for torturing a worker at a weapons factory in Iraq.
Meanwhile, international prosecutions related to Yahya Jammeh’s regime have also increased. Last year, a Swiss court sentenced Gambia’s former interior minister to 20 years for crimes against humanity. A German court also convicted another Junglers member in 2023 for his role in the assassination of political dissidents.
Correa’s trial is expected to continue over the coming weeks, with testimony from victims and expert witnesses central to determining whether he was a willing participant—or a man with no way out.
