A rare human rights trial began this week in Denver federal court, marking the first time a non-U.S. citizen is being prosecuted in the U.S. in connection with acts of torture committed abroad.

Michael Sang Correa, a former Gambian soldier, is facing charges under a rarely used U.S. law for allegedly torturing detainees 19 years ago.

Correa is accused of participating in beatings, electrocutions and other forms of abuses while allegedly acting as part of a death squad operating under former Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh.

Why It Matters

The case marks the third prosecution in U.S. history to fall under the federal Torture Act, a 1994 law allowing the prosecution of acts of torture committed outside the U.S. when the accused is found on American soil.

Human rights observers and Gambian activists are closely watching the case as a significant test of international accountability and a potential model for other countries considering similar action.

Who Is Michael Sang Correa?

According to prosecutors, Correa served in the “Junglers,” a paramilitary unit that took orders directly from Jammeh, who was president of The Gambia from 1996 to 2017.

The unit was widely accused of torturing and killing political opponents during Jammeh’s rule.

In December 2016, Correa entered the U.S. accompanying the Gambian vice president on a diplomatic trip.

When Jammeh fled into exile weeks later, following his defeat in that year’s presidential election, Correa remained in the U.S., living in Denver and working as a day laborer, prosecutors said.

He was arrested in September 2019 after overstaying his visa. He was indicted in 2020 on one count of conspiracy to commit torture and six counts of torture under the U.S. Torture Act.

What Is He Accused Of?

In 2006, Correa allegedly tortured six detainees following a failed coup attempt against Jammeh.

According to prosecutors, Correa and others beat detainees with pipes, burned them with molten plastic and acid, shocked them with electricity and suffocated them with plastic bags.

His defense team has argued that he acted under duress as members of the Junglers who disobeyed could be killed. Correa has pleaded not guilty.

How Rare Are Torture Trials?

The U.S. Torture Act has been used in court only twice before. In 2008, Charles “Chuckie” Taylor Jr., son of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, was convicted in connection with acts of torture committed in Liberia, and Ross Roggio was convicted in 2023 in connection with acts of torture committed in Iraq. Both men are U.S. citizens.

Correa is the first foreign national to face charges under the Torture Act. His prosecution comes as The Gambia prepares its own war crimes tribunal to address human rights violations committed under Jammeh’s rule.

There are also two upcoming trials where defendants have been indicted under the Torture Act, according to Human Rights Watch.

Sead Miljkovic, a former alleged member of the Obezbjeđenje objekata i lica
(OBL), the police force of the so-called Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia, is scheduled to be tried on April 29, on allegations he tortured prisoners during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s.

Samir Ousman Alsheikh, a Syrian national who was the former head of the
Damascus Central Prison, was indicted by a Los Angeles federal grand jury on three counts of torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture, under the Torture Act, and is set to go to trial on April 19.

Other courts have recently held individuals connected to Yahya Jammeh, the Gambian dictator, accountable for similar crimes.

In 2023, a German court sentenced a former Junglers member to life in prison, and Switzerland convicted Jammeh’s former interior minister in 2024 of crimes against humanity.

What People Are Saying

U.S. Attorney Jason R. Dunn said: “As federal prosecutors, our mission is to seek out injustice and to hold accountable those who perpetuate it, regardless of where it occurs. With this arrest, we are not only holding accountable a man who has allegedly committed horrific acts of torture against his own people, but demonstrating to the People of The Gambia, and indeed the entire world, that the United States stands for the rule of law and against those who abuse human rights.”

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said: “Michael Correa allegedly committed heinous acts of violence against victim after victim in a brutal effort to coerce confessions from suspected coup plotters in The Gambia. These charges underscore that the United States will not be a safe haven for perpetrators of torture and that human rights violators will be held accountable and brought to justice.”

Assistant Director David C. Shaw of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), National Security Investigations Division, who oversees the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, said: “Michael Correa’s case is another example of our commitment to pursue those who attempt to evade accountability for their actions by fleeing to the United States. HSI will continue to investigate perpetrators of torture, genocide, and other war crimes to ensure the United States does not serve as a safe haven for human rights violators.”

What Happens Next

The trial, which began Monday in the U.S. District Court of Colorado, is expected to continue through until mid-April, lasing for 10 court days.