 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Momodou
Denmark
11759 Posts |
 Posted - 23 Aug 2025 : 22:37:19
|
Aug 22 (Reuters) - A Gambian man who was part of an armed unit run by former dictator Yahya Jammeh and was convicted of torture by a U.S. jury in April has been sentenced to more than 67 years in prison, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday.
A Colorado jury convicted the Gambian national, Michael Sang Correa, for his participation in the torture of numerous victims in Gambia in 2006, including beating and flesh burning, because of the victims' purported involvement in a coup plot against the then-president, the Justice Department said.
Correa, 46, was sentenced to 810 months in prison by Senior Judge Christine Arguello for the District of Colorado after conviction on one count of conspiracy to commit torture and five counts of torture, the department said in a statement.
The case marked the first criminal prosecution over involvement in the feared armed group known as "the Junglers", which operated in Gambia's police state during Jammeh's rule. The former president seized power in 1994 and foiled several attempts to overthrow him before he lost a 2016 election.
Correa was arrested in 2020 under a law which makes it a crime for anyone in the U.S. to commit torture …….
|
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
|
|
Momodou
Denmark
11759 Posts |
Posted - 24 Aug 2025 : 12:56:42
|
PUBLIC STATEMENT 23rd August 2025
EFSCRJ Hails the Sentencing of Michael Sang Correa and
Warns of Democratic Backsliding
EFSCRJ hereby hails the sentencing of Jungler Michael Sang Correa to 810 months or 67 and half years of imprisonment on 22 August 2025 by a US court in the District of Colorado after being convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit torture and five counts of torture. The conviction of this Jungler is a landmark moment in the global fight against impunity. It marked the first time a non-U.S. citizen was prosecuted under U.S. law for torture committed abroad. This sends a clear message that perpetrators of human rights violations cannot run from justice by crossing borders.
The trial and conviction of Correa forms part of the objectives of the Gambia’s transitional justice process launched in 2017. Though tried in the US, Correa was mentioned in the TRRC Final Report and recommended for prosecution which the Government accepted in its White Paper. Thus, this verdict also puts international pressure on Gambian authorities to act on the TRRC’s recommendations. While his victims have now obtained justice, they also need reparations, and we look forward to the Reparations Commission for the speedy distribution of reparations.
While welcoming this landmark decision, EFSCRJ continues to express deep concern about The Gambian Government’s overall slow implementation of its White Paper. We wish to state that it has taken considerable time now and still the special tribunal is not established while necessary legal and institutional reforms are either not done or slow. These include the lack of a new constitution while laws establishing security agencies also remain unchanged hence severely undermining security sector reforms. Even symbolic recommendations such as declaring April 10 and 11 as school holidays and the President relinquishing his patronage of the Supreme Islamic Council remain undone.
Sentencing perpetrators, creation of institutions, payment of reparations and legal reforms are tangible outcomes we desire. But these are only meaningful when they lead to and strengthen good governance in the Gambia. Nine years after the end of the Yaya Jammeh Tyranny, EFSCRJ has noticed with deep concerned evidence of democratic backsliding. The incidence of weaponization of laws and institutions, unchecked corruption, and return of dictatorship enablers to public office are clear indications of a move towards dictatorship.
We wish to therefore remind both leaders and citizens to be alert and vigilant to detect, prevent and resist democratic backsliding. The illegal denial, restrictions, and violent crackdown on peaceful assemblies and protesters seeking accountability by the Inspector General of Police deeply concern us. We wish to remind both security and civilian officers that they are not obligated to obey illegal orders, even under threat. The fate of Michael Sang Correa should be lesson for all.
We wish to reaffirm our commitment to monitoring, documenting, and preserving accountability for future justice and urged all citizens and officials to uphold human rights and adhere to the rule of law, and uphold the Never Again mantra!
2025 – The Year of Transparency and Accountability |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
 |
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| Bantaba in Cyberspace |
© 2005-2024 Nijii |
|
|
|
Jungler Michael Sang Correa sentenced to 67 years
