Group Says Maryland Woman Detained In Gambia Is Coming Home
FREDERICK, Md. (AP) — A group that helps mediate international conflicts says a Maryland woman imprisoned last year while visiting her native Gambia is coming home.
The Richardson Center for Global Engagement said Monday that Fanta Jawara will arrive Thursday night at Washington Dulles International Airport.
Jawara is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Frederick. She and 17 others were sentenced in July to three years in prison after they were arrested on charges of unlawful assembly, conspiracy and incitement to violence during an anti-government protest in April. Jawara contends she was a bystander.
She was released on bond in December after strongman ruler Yahya Jammeh lost the presidential election to Adama Barrow.
Jammeh stepped down Jan. 21 after a tense political standoff, clearing the way for Jawara's return to her husband and two daughters.
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