Keypoints:
- Jammeh’s enforcer jailed in US torture case
- First-ever prosecution of Junglers death squad
- Survivors say justice has restored their power
A FORMER member of Yahya Jammeh’s notorious death squad has been sentenced to more than 67 years in prison by a US court, in a landmark ruling that survivors say restores their power after years of silence.
Michael Sang Correa, 46, was handed an 810-month sentence by Senior Judge Christine Arguello in Colorado after being found guilty in April on one count of conspiracy to commit torture and five counts of torture.
The US Justice Department said Correa’s conviction marked the first criminal prosecution anywhere of a member of Jammeh’s feared paramilitary unit, known as the Junglers.
Brutality of 2006 crackdown
Correa’s crimes stem from a 2006 crackdown, when Jammeh accused opponents of plotting a coup. Prosecutors said detainees were taken to the National Intelligence Agency compound near Banjul and subjected to savage beatings, flesh burning and electric shocks.
Some were doused with acid. Others were tortured in a secret chamber infamous among victims.
‘This sentence underscores that those who commit torture abroad will be held to account when they come to the United States,’ the Justice Department said.
First Junglers trial
The Junglers, an offshoot of the Gambian army that answered directly to Jammeh, became notorious for extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances and torture.
Correa’s prosecution in the US was enabled by a federal law that allows for the trial of foreign nationals accused of torture abroad if they are present in the country.
Jammeh, who ruled Gambia from 1994 until his electoral defeat in 2016, lives in exile in Equatorial Guinea. He denies ever authorising torture, but extensive testimonies from survivors and rights groups contradict his claims.
Survivors and rights groups hail justice
Human rights campaigners hailed Correa’s conviction as a breakthrough.
TRIAL International called it ‘an important milestone towards justice for his direct victims, and another step towards justice for all who suffered under Jammeh’s regime’.
Fatou Baldeh, a Gambian activist present in the Denver courtroom, said: ‘It was very moving sitting in front of Mr Correa and seeing the evidence presented … The victims were afforded an opportunity to face their perpetrator, and you could see they got their power back.’
Victims’ advocate Zainab Lowe said: ‘The jury’s unanimous verdict was felt all the way in The Gambia … It sent a strong message that the country must continue to ensure all Junglers are held to account.’
Ela Matthews of the US-based Center for Justice and Accountability added: ‘By prosecuting Correa, the United States has shown its commitment to fulfilling obligations to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of international crimes.’
Jammeh’s shadow still looms
Human Rights Watch previously described Correa’s indictment as ‘an important step for Gambian victims and international justice’.
The sentencing is the first of its kind but unlikely to be the last. Survivors and campaigners continue to press for wider accountability, including eventual proceedings against Jammeh himself.
