( CNN ) -- Two American citizens serving long prison sentences for treason in Gambia will return to the United States Tuesday night after the Rev . Jesse Jackson made a face-to-face appeal for their release to President Yahya Jammeh . In a separate concession , Jammeh agreed to halt indefinitely dozens of executions he had originally planned to carry out by mid September , according to Jackson 's non-profit Rainbow Push Coalition . The tiny West African nation last executed an inmate about 30 years ago , but in August the president announced he would have all death row prisoners put to death -- 47 in total . The pronouncement sparked the outrage of human rights activists around the world and was the catalyst for Jackson 's trip `` to plead for mercy . '' The freed Americans were not on death row . One of them , Amadou Scattred Janneh , was serving a life sentence for printing and distributing T-shirts critical of Jammeh , according to Amnesty International . The T-shirts bore the slogan `` End Dictatorship Now . '' Janneh once served as Gambia 's minister of information , and also taught at the University of Tennessee . The second man , Tamsir Jasseh , who served in the U.S. military during Operation Desert Storm , was serving a 20-year sentence for his role in a failed coup against the president . Jackson traveled to Gambia as a private citizen on a trip sponsored by the Gambian government , which covered his flights and accommodations , said U.S . Ambassador to Gambia Edward Alford . The U.S. Embassy was not involved in the negotiations . Gambia , a former British colony surrounded by Senegal , has a population of 1.3 million . Jammeh took power in a military coup in 1994 , and was elected president two years later . The government represses political opposition groups , and the president has won all elections since he came to power . The nation imposes capital punishment for various crimes , including murder and treason , the latter commonly used to stifle dissent in some African nations . The country does not adhere to international standards on fair trials , according to said Audrey Gaughran , the Africa director for Amnesty International . Until this year , none of the executions had been carried out , although Jammeh made a threat to do so in 2009 . But in August , after Jammeh announced he would enforce the executions , nine inmates were killed by firing squad . That left 38 , whose lives have been spared after the Gambian president 's moratorium on executions was announced during Jackson 's visit . Gambia 's human rights record has drawn steady criticism since Jammeh 's election , but the president has won supporters by building new hospitals , schools and other infrastructure . CNN 's Jack Maddox contributed to this report .
Jesse ##l appeals directly to Gambia 's president for the pardon . President Yahya Jammeh in addition agrees to halt death row executions . Opposition groups say the sentences are handed down to repress political opposition . The defendants were not on death row and had not received death sentences .