US man: Wife wrongly jailed in The Gambia

Hagerstown - A Maryland man says his wife has been wrongfully sentenced to three years' imprisonment in The Gambia following her arrest during an anti-government protest there.

Ebrima Jawara of Frederick said on Thursday he learned of the sentence from news reports and a relative in the west African nation.

Fanta Darboe Jawara, a naturalised US citizen, was among a group of people arrested in April on charges including unlawful assembly during a demonstration near the capital, Banjul.

Her husband says she was a bystander at the demonstration while visiting her homeland.

Amnesty International says in a statement that 19 people arrested at the demonstration were convicted and sentenced to three years on Wednesday.

US Senator Ben Cardin and three other Maryland congressional members had demanded Fanta Darboe Jawara's release last month.