Gambian President Adama Barrow has in exercise of the prerogative of mercy vested on him by the Gambia Constitution, pardoned and released 115 prisoners, who were serving various sentences in the country’s three prisons.
According to a media release issued by the Government, seventy eight (78) of those inmates are from the Mile 2 Central Prison in Banjul, twenty four (24) from Jeshwang prison within the Kanifing Municipality, and thirteen (13) from Janjangbureh Prison in the Central River Region (CRR).
The media dispatch said the release of the inmates came in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic in the country.
“Ever since his coming to power in January 2017, President Barrow has consistently granted amnesty to prisoners. Soon after assuming office, Barrow, in a magnanimous gesture emptied Mile 2 Prisons of all political detainees and prisoners some of whom were languishing behind the prison walls for decades without court appearance,” the release added.
It went to say that it is in the same spirit of caring for Gambians at home and abroad, as well as non-Gambians resident in the country, that President Barrow will unveil more COVID-19 relief programmes for citizens of The Gambia this weekend onwards.
