U.S. Jury finds Gambian death squad member guilty of torture
Denver, Colorado, USA 15 April 2025 – Today, a Denver jury found Michael Sang Correa guilty of five counts of torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture. This verdict marks the first time a U.S. jury has ever held a non-U.S. citizen criminally responsible for torture committed outside of the United States.
During the historic five-day trial, the jury heard evidence that Mr. Correa was a member of the Junglers, a notorious death squad in The Gambia. Victims and witnesses testified that following an attempted coup against former President Yahya Jammeh’s dictatorship in 2006, Mr. Correa and other Junglers brutally tortured suspected participants in the coup, including by beating them, suffocating them with plastic bags, and subjecting them to electric shocks. The jury unanimously found Mr. Correa guilty of torture and conspiracy to commit torture. Judge Christine M. Arguello, who presided over the trial, will determine Correa’s sentence at a hearing later this year. Mr. Correa can appeal the verdict.
“Correa’s trial and conviction represent an important milestone towards justice for his direct victims, and it is another step towards justice for all who suffered under Jammeh’s regime,” said Tamsir Jasseh, who currently serves as a senior advisor to the Gambian Police. “This verdict demonstrates that we can end impunity for the widespread abuses that took place during those years, both abroad and in The Gambia,” said Demba Dem, a former member of The Gambia’s Parliament. “This verdict is crucial for the healing of the victims and of Gambian society,” said Yaya Darboe, a commanding officer in the Gambian Armed Forces. All three men testified about the torture they endured at the hands of Mr. Correa.
The case against Mr. Correa was brought under the extraterritorial Torture Act, a federal law which allows the U.S. government to prosecute individuals found within the United States for acts of torture committed abroad. The case has drawn significant attention from human rights advocates and legal experts, as it is the first trial of a non-U.S. citizen under the Act. Mr. Correa is only the third person to be convicted under the Act since its enactment in 1994.
“This is a momentous trial, not only for The Gambia, but also for the United States. Countries have an obligation to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of international crimes who are found within their territory,” said Ela Matthews, Center for Justice and Accountability Senior Staff Attorney. “By prosecuting Correa, the United States has shown its commitment to fulfilling these obligations.”
Victims and Gambian civil society played a crucial role in ensuring that Mr. Correa was brought to justice, and that the trial received coverage in The Gambia. Jammeh regime victims traveled from The Gambia to Denver to observe the proceedings and 11 people testified.
According to Vony Rambolamanana, Senior Legal Advisor at TRIAL International: “Correa’s conviction, together with the recent convictions of former Jungler Bai Lowe in Germany and Gambian former Interior Minister Ousman Sonko in Switzerland, underscores the critical importance of universal and extraterritorial jurisdiction laws in bringing justice to survivors of international crimes committed in countries where impunity is rampant.”
In 2021, the Gambian Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) concluded that former president Jammeh and 69 of his associates, including Mr. Correa, committed crimes against humanity in The Gambia. The vast majority of perpetrators have yet to be held accountable. Last year, The Gambia took significant steps towards justice, including passing legislation aimed at creating a war crimes tribunal in the Gambia and securing ECOWAS’s approval to establish the tribunal.
“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,” said Kadijatou Kuyateh, Press Relations Officer at the Alliance of Victim-Led Organisations. “The Gambia must act swiftly to establish its hybrid court to prosecute the remaining perpetrators identified in the TRRC report.”
About the Center for Justice & Accountability
The Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) is a San Francisco-based international human rights organization dedicated to working with communities impacted by torture, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other serious human rights abuses to seek truth, justice, and redress using innovative litigation and transitional justice strategies.
About the Alliance of Victim-Led Organisations (AVLO)
The Alliance of Victim-Led Organisations (AVLO) is a coalition of Gambian civil society organizations that has been championing and representing the interests of victims of human rights violations in The Gambia.
About TRIAL International
TRIAL International is an international NGO fighting impunity for international crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture, enforced disappearances and conflict-related sexual violence. Founded in 2002, it has offices in Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
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Or please contact:
- Anja Härtwig, TRIAL International, in Geneva (English, French, German): media@trialinternational.org, +41 22 519 03 96
- Ela Matthews, The Center for Justice and Accountability, in London (English): ematthews@cja.org, +44 78 627 28 939
- Sirra Ndow, Alliance of Victim-Led Organisations, in Banjul (English): avlogambia@gmail.com, +2203737766
