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
