20120828
AP
BANJUL, Gambia (AP) — The government of Gambia has confirmed that it has executed nine inmates who were on death row, saying in a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior that the prisoners were killed by firing squad on Sunday.

President Yahya Jammeh announced during his end-of-Ramadan speech that his government would execute all the prisoners on death row in a move to curb crime . The statement issued by the ministry late Monday says, "Following the convictions and pronouncements of death sentences by the Gambian Courts of competent jurisdiction and further to the exhaustion of their appeals, the Ministry of Interior wishes to inform the general public that the following convicts were executed by firing squad on Sunday 26th August, 2012." Amnesty International says the nine prisoners were executed Friday.