The Gambia: President Yahya Jammeh's order to execute prisoners is an assault on human rights progress

The briefing examines the execution of nine prisoners by firing squad in the Gambia on 26 August, noting that it ended a 27-year hiatus on capital punishment. It highlights the lack of due process, the disregard for pleas from the African Union and international bodies, and the resulting strain on relations with Senegal. The text argues that these actions represent a regression in the country's democratisation and human rights progress, particularly as the Gambia hosts the African Court of Justice but has not ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR or the 1984 Convention against Torture.

• On 26 August, the Gambia executed nine prisoners via firing squad, marking the first executions in the country in 27 years.
• There are 38 additional death row prisoners awaiting execution, and the US State Department has expressed concerns that due process may not have been followed.
• The executions have damaged diplomatic relations with Senegal, as two of the executed prisoners were Senegalese nationals, leading to a formal protest by Prime Minister Abdoul Mbaye.
• The Gambia's legal framework regarding human rights is incomplete; it has not ratified the 1984 Convention against Torture nor signed and ratified the 1989 Second Optional Protocol on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to abolish the death penalty.
• The decision to resume executions is viewed as a reversal of democratisation and human rights progress, especially given that the Gambia hosts the African Court of Justice.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). The Gambia: President Yahya Jammeh's order to execute prisoners is an assault on human rights progress. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/the-gambia-president-yahya-jammehs-order-to-execute-prisoners-is-an-assault-on-human-rights-progress

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. The Gambia: President Yahya Jammeh's order to execute prisoners is an assault on human rights progress. n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/the-gambia-president-yahya-jammehs-order-to-execute-prisoners-is-an-assault-on-human-rights-progress.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=The Gambia: President Yahya Jammeh's order to execute prisoners is an assault on human rights progress |url=https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/the-gambia-president-yahya-jammehs-order-to-execute-prisoners-is-an-assault-on-human-rights-progress |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndgambia, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{The Gambia: President Yahya Jammeh's order to execute prisoners is an assault on human rights progress}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/the-gambia-president-yahya-jammehs-order-to-execute-prisoners-is-an-assault-on-human-rights-progress}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }