Michael Sang Correa heads to court next month as the first person from another country facing torture charges in America for acts he did elsewhere. The former army captain served on Yahya Jammeh's death team back in The Gambia. His trial starts on April 7, where he must answer for six torture charges plus one conspiracy charge.
Federal prosecutors say Correa hurt people who supposedly backed the failed 2006 coup led by Ndure Cham. They claim he beat these suspects, choked them using plastic bags, and shocked them with electricity. The American legal system can put him on trial because of a special law from 1994 that lets them go after anyone who did torture anywhere if that person comes to America.
This marks just the third time anybody faced courts under this Torture Act. The two earlier cases involved American citizens, unlike Correa. His appearance before judges matters a lot because many people suffered under Jammeh, who ran The Gambia as a dictator for years. During that time, people disappeared, died without proper trials, faced sexual attacks, and got locked up for no good reason.
Trial International says this court case helps victims learn what happened and brings some justice their way after years of waiting. The organization has tracked human rights cases worldwide and sees this as a major step forward. The legal system tests its reach by trying someone who committed crimes far away from American shores against people who never set foot in the United States.
Federal prosecutors say Correa hurt people who supposedly backed the failed 2006 coup led by Ndure Cham. They claim he beat these suspects, choked them using plastic bags, and shocked them with electricity. The American legal system can put him on trial because of a special law from 1994 that lets them go after anyone who did torture anywhere if that person comes to America.
This marks just the third time anybody faced courts under this Torture Act. The two earlier cases involved American citizens, unlike Correa. His appearance before judges matters a lot because many people suffered under Jammeh, who ran The Gambia as a dictator for years. During that time, people disappeared, died without proper trials, faced sexual attacks, and got locked up for no good reason.
Trial International says this court case helps victims learn what happened and brings some justice their way after years of waiting. The organization has tracked human rights cases worldwide and sees this as a major step forward. The legal system tests its reach by trying someone who committed crimes far away from American shores against people who never set foot in the United States.
