A former Gambian military member was found guilty in a Denver federal court on Tuesday for torturing individuals.
Michael Sang Correa was convicted of torturing five men suspected of involvement in a failed 2006 coup.
These men were believed to be opponents of Gambia’s longtime dictator, Yahya Jammeh.
Correa was also charged with conspiring to commit torture as part of the “Junglers,” a military unit reporting directly to Jammeh.
He came to the U.S. in 2016 and was indicted in 2020 under a law allowing US trials for alleged torture abroad.
Survivors from various locations testified about being electrocuted, beaten, and hung upside down.
Prosecutors presented photos of scars from bayonets, cigarettes, and ropes.
The defense argued Correa was a low-ranking soldier fearing for his own life if he disobeyed orders.
However, prosecutors noted that some Junglers did refuse to participate in torture.
A Gambian truth commission urged prosecution for crimes under Jammeh’s regime in 2021.
Other nations have also pursued justice related to his rule.
Jammeh’s ex-interior minister received a 20-year sentence in Switzerland last year for crimes against humanity.
In 2023, a German court convicted another Jungler for murder and crimes against humanity.