By Buba Gagigo
The U.S. Justice Department issued a stark warning following the conviction of Michael Sang Correa on Monday, stating that the United States will not serve as a refuge for human rights violators.
Correa was found guilty in a Denver federal court on six counts, including conspiracy to commit torture and the torture of five individuals: Demba Dem, Sainey Bayo, Tamsir Jasseh, Pharing Sanyang, and Pierre Mendy. The sentencing date is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, addressed the press following the verdict, emphasizing the U.S. government’s commitment to holding perpetrators of human rights abuses accountable, no matter where they seek asylum.
“Today, the Justice Department secured the conviction of Michael Sang Correa on multiple counts of torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture. This verdict underscores the Justice Department’s determination to protect victims and prevent perpetrators of torture and other heinous human rights abuses abroad from seeking a new life here in America. You cannot hide here. We can and will prosecute you if you come to the United States after committing atrocities abroad. This country will not be a safe haven for human rights violators,” Galeotti warned.
Galeotti also expressed his gratitude toward the victims who testified during the trial, noting the immense courage required to relive the traumatic events they endured. “Reliving those horrific crimes and facing their tormentor in person again takes tremendous bravery. It must have been painful and difficult, and we thank them for enduring this ordeal in the interests of justice.”
He further acknowledged the tireless efforts of the prosecution team, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the District of Colorado and Homeland Security Investigations agents, for their dedication in pursuing the case.
“I also want to express my appreciation and commend the prosecutors from the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, Assistant United States Attorneys from the District of Colorado, and agents from Homeland Security Investigations for relentlessly pursuing this case, and ensuring justice was done,” he said.
Galeotti said the trial laid bare the brutality of the acts Correa committed in 2006, before fleeing to the United States in an apparent attempt to evade accountability.
According to prosecutors, Correa, along with several co-conspirators, was part of a repressive crackdown against individuals accused of attempting to overthrow the Gambian government under then-President Yahya Jammeh. Correa served in an elite paramilitary unit known as the “Junglers,” a feared arm of Jammeh’s security forces tasked with neutralizing perceived threats to the regime.
“The government’s evidence showed that Correa, along with his co-conspirators, tortured and abused victims accused of plotting a coup against the regime then in power in The Gambia, a West African country which at the time was under the regime of President Yahya Jammeh. Correa belonged to a special unit of President Jammeh’s security forces, known as the “Junglers,” who brutally cracked down on what the regime claimed was a coup plot. Trial testimony revealed the direct role Correa played in that torture,” he said.
His conviction marks only the third time in U.S. federal court history that a defendant has been found guilty of torture.
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