By: Michaella Faith Wright
The Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice (EFSCRJ) has hailed the conviction of former Jungler Michael Sang Correa by a U.S. federal court as a landmark moment in the global fight against impunity. The organization also called on the Gambian government to fast-track domestic prosecutions and act on the long-overdue recommendations of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC).
Correa, a former member of ex-president Yahya Jammeh’s notorious hit squad, was found guilty on April 15 of torturing five individuals in the aftermath of a failed 2006 coup attempt. His conviction is the first time a non-U.S. citizen has been prosecuted under American legislation permitting the prosecution of torture committed abroad. EFSCRJ described the verdict as sending a “clear message” that perpetrators of human rights violations cannot hide behind foreign borders.
While commending the U.S. court’s decision as a milestone for justice, EFSCRJ voiced serious concern over what it described as the Gambian government’s sluggish approach to accountability. It criticized the reported implementation of less than 10 percent of TRRC recommendations and cited continued failures—such as the refusal to declare April 10 and 11 as school holidays and the President’s ongoing patronage of the Supreme Islamic Council—as symbolic of broader governmental inaction.
The organization also sounded the alarm on growing signs of democratic backsliding, urging public officials and members of the security forces to resist unlawful directives. Reaffirming its role as a guardian of accountability and good governance, EFSCRJ declared, “The day of reckoning shall arrive.”
