A former U.S. Navy sailor testified Thursday about the torture he endured in Gambia. Tamsir Jasseh told a Denver jury he was beaten after a failed 2006 coup against dictator Yahya Jammeh. He identified Michael Sang Correa as one of his abusers from the Junglers special forces unit. Jasseh said Correa placed a plastic bag over his head until he bit through it for air. Correa faces five torture counts after being arrested in America for visa violations.
Jasseh served ten years in the Navy before returning to Gambia in 1999. He hoped to reform law enforcement but found himself arrested for helping coup leader Colonel Ndure Cham escape to Senegal. Jasseh signed a forced confession under threat of violence. He described how Correa mocked his U.S. citizenship during beatings that Jammeh monitored by phone. Jasseh received a 20-year sentence but was released early through advocacy efforts.
Another victim, Pharing Sanyang, showed jurors scars from cigarette burns and bayonet slashes. He testified he confessed despite having no role in the coup because "I had to save my body." Two other Gambian officials have faced similar charges abroad. A German court sentenced Jungler Bai Lowe to life imprisonment for murder. A Swiss court gave former Interior Minister Ousman Sonko 20 years.
Jasseh served ten years in the Navy before returning to Gambia in 1999. He hoped to reform law enforcement but found himself arrested for helping coup leader Colonel Ndure Cham escape to Senegal. Jasseh signed a forced confession under threat of violence. He described how Correa mocked his U.S. citizenship during beatings that Jammeh monitored by phone. Jasseh received a 20-year sentence but was released early through advocacy efforts.
Another victim, Pharing Sanyang, showed jurors scars from cigarette burns and bayonet slashes. He testified he confessed despite having no role in the coup because "I had to save my body." Two other Gambian officials have faced similar charges abroad. A German court sentenced Jungler Bai Lowe to life imprisonment for murder. A Swiss court gave former Interior Minister Ousman Sonko 20 years.
