The sentencing hearing for Michael Sang Correa, a former member of The Gambia’s notorious “junglers” death squad, will begin on August 22, 2025, in the U.S. District Court in Denver, Colorado.
The proceedings are expected to last five days.
A federal jury in Denver found Correa guilty of five counts of torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture for crimes committed during the regime of former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh. Correa, who served in the elite junglers unit, faces up to 120 years in prison.
During the trial, witnesses and victims traveled from The Gambia to testify about abuses committed by Correa and other junglers. They told the court how suspected participants in a failed 2006 coup were brutally tortured.
Fatou Baldeh, founder and CEO of Women in Liberation and Leadership (WILL), attended the trial and described the emotional impact of victims confronting Correa in the courtroom. “It was very moving sitting in front of Mr. Correa and seeing the evidence presented by the prosecution,” she said. “The victims were afforded an opportunity to face their perpetrator, and you could see they got their power back.”
Zainab Lowe, a prominent victims’ rights advocate in The Gambia, also attended the trial. She said the jury’s unanimous verdict “was felt all the way in The Gambia” and “sent a strong message that The Gambia must continue to work to ensure all junglers are held to account and that other victims of human rights abuses get justice.”
At sentencing, both the prosecution and the defense will present arguments over the length of Correa’s prison term. Prosecutors are expected to recommend the maximum sentence of 120 years, while victims will be given the chance to make statements describing the lasting effects of Correa’s crimes.
“Correa’s conviction, together with a significant sentence, will send a strong message to other junglers and other human rights abusers, currently living with impunity, that they will too face justice,” said Ayeshah Jammeh of the Gambian Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations.
Muhammed Sandeng of the Solo Sandeng Foundation added: “Our government must follow through on its promise to establish a hybrid court to prosecute the remaining Jammeh-era perpetrators.”
After sentencing, Correa will have the right to appeal the jury’s verdict on limited legal grounds.
