Barrage of protests after nine executed

GAMBIA: Nine convicted criminals have been executed in Gambia, human rights group Civil Society Associations said yesterday.

Amnesty International warned that dozens more on death row are under threat as the West African nation carries out its first death sentences in 27 years.

President Yahya Jammeh vowed this month to execute all inmates sentenced to death “to ensure criminals get what they deserve: that is, those who killed are 
killed, and those who 
deserve to be put away 
from the society are put away from the society in accordance with the law”.

Eight men and one woman were removed from their prison cells on Friday night and executed, Amnesty said, quoting “credible sources”. 
It said two of those executed are believed to be foreigners from Senegal.

The move was met with a barrage of protests from the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, the French and Nigerian governments and human rights groups.