Top Gambian opposition leader, 18 others out of prison
BANJUL, Gambia — A top Gambian opposition politician and 18 other protesters were released from prison after an appeals court granted them bail on Monday, just days after strongman ruler Yahya Jammeh agreed to step aside after losing the presidential election.
The ruling prompted people in the courtroom to stand and sing the national anthem.
Ousainou Darboe, the head of the United Democratic Party, and the 18 others had been arrested in April after they took part in a peaceful demonstration. They each had been sentenced to three years in prison after they marched for electoral reform and to demand the body of party member Solo Sandeng, who was arrested days earlier and was tortured and died in prison.
Darboe is also a mentor to 51-year-old Adama Barrow, the man who defeated Jammeh in Thursday’s vote. Barrow has vowed to free all political prisoners and has urged exiles who fled Jammeh’s 22-year reign to return and help him reform this tiny West African country.