By Sanna Camara

A week of marathon court sessions revealed dozens of evidence piling up against Gambian torture suspect, Michael Correa, who is being tried in the US. Sordid details emerging from witnesses and prosecutors, that makes Guantanamo Bay incarceration looks like a play.

By the end of last week, 11 witnesses testified, about three dozen pieces of evidence entered into evidence, while the case proceeds to this week. Some 28 exhibits were entered into evidence in the second day alone – including maps of the region, photos of the Gambia’s National Intelligence Agency headquarters, of Mile 2 Prison, and of the scars sustained from torture of the witnesses.

To the defense team, Michael Correa’s acts of torture were merely following orders, and that he did not have a choice as a junior officer at the time these crimes allegedly occurred. In essence, they did not refute any of the evidence presented so far.

While to some of the victims who travelled from Africa’s smallest country to the United States, this trial is significant in their long quest for justice especially when similar chances have eluded them at home.

Zainab Lowe, whose brother was extra-judicially killed under the Jammeh regime, and had his name mentioned during testimonies in the court room, trial of torture was a milestone

As a victim, she described the trial as a “roller coaster of emotions” – seeing a man who has been accused of participating “in the torture of so many Gambians.” It was simply “overwhelming” for her, as she was quick to describe it as a “a milestone that is going to shape our transitional justice process, especially our quest for justice.”

On the second day of the proceedings last week, court records reveal that up to 28 pieces of evidence have been submitted by the prosecution. Lawyers for the victims could not quanitify the exact figure by the end of the week but contend that a lot of exhibits have been piling up as evidence.

The trial by the United States Government kick started on the 7th of April 2025 at the Alfred A Arraj Courthouse in Denver, Colorado and is expected to last until 18th April 2025.   Michael Sang Correa has been charged with torture and conspiracy to commit torture which is an international crime no matter where they have been committed.

Gambia Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations (Victims’ Center) in a statement during the week, expressed appreciation on the on-going trial of Michael Sang Correa. This is the third case to be tried under universal jurisdiction principle of international law, which allows countries to try cases of grave crimes like torture, extrajudicial killings and war crimes even if these crimes were committed elsewhere.

For victims like Zainab Lowe, the most significant part of the trial so far is the fact that she is able to face the man who has been adversely mentioned during the TRRC hearings for these crimes against Gambians.

“…putting a face to the name, but also being able to witness one of the universal jurisdiction proceedings, and hoping that the trial will end in our favor,” she said.

“This trial is a glimmer of hope for our victims because this is the third court trial with Universal Jurisdiction following the imprisonment of Jungler Baye Lowe and former Interior Minister Ousman Sonko in Germany and Switzerland, respectively,” the center said.

One of the earlier members of the center, Aisha Jammeh, who had dedicated her life to searching for answers around the disappearance f her dad and aunt, brother and sister to the former president, the trial is more than just a legal proceeding it is a powerful step toward justice, accountability, and healing.

She is among several civil society activists in the US attending the trial. “Many lived for years in silence, bearing the trauma of the beatings, imprisonment, and torture they endured. Families were torn apart, voices were silenced, and too many never lived to see this day. But today, in Denver, the world begins to listen,” she said.

For victims like her, justice is not just about punishment, it is about recognition, truth, and dignity. It’s about rewriting the narrative so that perpetrators are no longer protected by power, but held accountable by law.

“Today, as this trial unfolds, survivors are seen. Their pain is acknowledged. Their voices, once stifled by fear, now echo in a courtroom where truth has the chance to prevail,” she said.

Some 28 exhibits were entered into evidence in the second day alone – including maps of the region, photos of the Gambia’s National Intelligence Agency headquarters, of Mile 2 Prison, and of the scars sustained from torture of the witnesses. Several other witnesses have testified thereafter, including civilians, security experts, and soldiers from the Gambia army.