- First US trial using 1994 law prosecuting foreign torture claims
- Survivors describe electric shocks, beatings, and forced confessions
- Defendant allegedly served in Jammeh's elite 'Junglers' death squad
- Case part of global reckoning for Gambia's 1994-2017 dictatorship
Four Gambian men offered visceral testimony this week in a Denver federal courtroom, describing systematic torture allegedly ordered by former dictator Yahya Jammeh and carried out by defendant Michael Sang Correa. The proceedings mark the first application of a 1994 US law enabling prosecution of foreign nationals for torture committed overseas when victims have American connections.
Pharing Sanyang recounted how interrogators smashed his face with a hammer during 2006 questioning about a suspected coup plot. They kept asking, 'Where are the weapons?' but I knew nothing,the former military officer stated, describing how captors forced him to sign a blood-stained false confession. Prosecutors displayed graphic photos showing victims' scars from bayonet stabs, rope burns, and cigarette burns administered during interrogations.
Legal analysts note the trial's significance in testing universal jurisdiction principles. This isn't just about one soldier,said Human Rights Watch researcher Reed Brody. It's about establishing that perpetrators can't escape justice by fleeing their home countries.Correa entered the US legally in 2016 but remained illegally after Jammeh's 2017 ouster, working construction jobs until his 2020 arrest.
The prosecution faces unique challenges, including witness identification issues. Sanyang acknowledged Correa wore a mask during beatings but insisted he recognized the defendant's distinctive walk from their prior service at Jammeh's residence. Defense attorneys argue Correa – then a 22-year-old private – faced execution himself for disobeying orders in Gambia's authoritarian regime.
Regional human rights groups view the trial as complementary to Gambia's Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), which documented 393 cases of Jammeh-era abuses. International prosecutions fill accountability gaps when national systems are weak,noted TRRC lead investigator Baba Galleh Jallow. Parallel European cases saw Jammeh's interior minister receive a 20-year Swiss sentence in 2022, while Germany convicted a Junglers member last year.
Survivors described lasting physical and psychological trauma during emotional testimony. Ex-parliament member Demba Dem broke down recalling torturers hanging him upside down while applying hot metal to his skin. I smell burning flesh whenever I cook meat,he told jurors. Medical records show three plaintiffs required surgeries for torture-related injuries, with two diagnosed with chronic PTSD.
The trial continues through next week, with verdict implications for 11 other Jammeh associates under US investigation. If convicted, Correa faces up to life imprisonment under statutes prohibiting torture, conspiracy, and immigration fraud. Legal observers say the outcome could influence pending Gambian requests to extradite Jammeh from Equatorial Guinea, where the exiled dictator has lived since 2017.
