A U.S. court has sentenced Michael Sang Correa, a member of “Junglers,” former Gambia President Yahya Jameh’s armed killer squad, to over 67 years in prison for torture and human rights abuse.

Senior Judge Christine M. Arguello for the District of Colorado sentenced Mr Correa for his role as a member of “Jungler,” after he was convicted of “one count of conspiracy to commit torture and five counts of torture.”

“Evidence presented at trial showed that Correa served in an armed unit known as the ‘Junglers,’ which reported to The Gambia’s former President, Yahya Jammeh,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement on August 22.

It added, “The jury found that, as a Jungler, Correa conspired with others to commit torture and personally tortured five victims, who were targeted based on suspicions that they had plotted against Jammeh.”

Mr Correa, who obtained a visa and entered the U.S. in December 2016, was arrested by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official in 2019 and was placed on removal proceedings. He was charged with torture in 2020.

According to the DoJ, in March 2006, shortly after a failed coup attempt, Mr Correa and his co-conspirators transported the victims to Mile 2 Prison, the main prison in The Gambia. Over the following weeks, the victims endured severe abuse, including beatings, stabbings, burnings, and electrocutions.

“One victim testified that his thigh was burned with molten plastic and that he was suspended in a bag and dropped to the ground. Another victim described being suffocated with a plastic bag over his head and having the barrel of a pistol placed in his mouth,” the DoJ added.

Mr Correa’s conviction comes as the first non-U.S. national convicted on federal torture charges. He was investigated by the HSI Denver Field Office with support from HSI agents in Senegal, as well as personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Banjul, The Gambia, and the FBI Legal Attaché in Senegal.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division said, “Michael Correa has finally been held accountable for the brutal violence he inflicted on others.”

He added, “The United States will not be a haven for individuals who seek to conceal their egregious human rights violations. We are proud to have worked with our law enforcement partners to secure this sentence, and we thank the brave victims whose testimony helped ensure that justice is done.”

Human Rights Watch, in a statement in April, said Mr Correa’s trial in the U.S. for crimes committed in The Gambia “is possible because U.S. laws recognise universal jurisdiction over certain serious crimes under international law, often termed atrocity crimes, including torture, genocide, and war crimes.

It added, “Universal jurisdiction allows for investigating and prosecuting these crimes no matter where they were committed, regardless of the nationality of the suspects or victims.”