The ROP Does It Again! British Missionaries in Gambia Jailed for One Year with Hard Labour for Sedition
THE TELEGRAPH: A British couple working as Christian missionaries in Gambia have been jailed for one year with hard labour for sending emails that were critical of the Muslim state.

David Fulton, 60, a former Army major, and his wife, Fiona, 46, pleaded guilty to making seditious comments "with intent to bring hatred or contempt against the president or the government".

Their sentence, in a country which has one of west Africa's worst human rights records, sparked concern after reports that other prisoners on similar charges have been poisoned while in jail.

The couple, originally from Torquay in Devon, have spent 12 years in Gambia. They were arrested on 29 November at their home at Kerr Sering, an hour's drive from the capital through tropical bush, and accused of spreading "hatred against the government" via a series of round-robin emails believed to relate to their missionary work.

Friends said that they were not given details of what exactly they were accused of until appearing in court.

They were sentenced in the capital, Banjul, and will be held at one of Africa's toughest jails, the former colonial penal institute of Mile Two Prison. They were also fined 250,000 Dalasis (£6,500). >>> By Richard Edwards, Crime Correspondent | Tuesday, December 30, 2008

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British Missionaries Charged with Sedition in Gambia
THE TELEGRAPH: A British couple who moved to Gambia to work as Christian missionaries have been arrested and charged with sedition.

David and Fiona Fulton, aged 60, and 46, were last night in police custody at separate cells in the West African state, which has a 90 per cent Muslim population.

The couple, originally from Troon, Scotland were detained on Saturday but have been unable to raise raise enough local people to vouch for them to secure their release on bail.

Mr Fulton, who is being held at Mile Two prison, a high security jail outside the capital Banjul, is said to be in poor health, and is refusing food. Mrs Fulton is at a police station with their adopted two-year-old daughter Elizabeth.

The pair appeared in court in Banjul yesterday accused of sedition, a serious charge brought against people suspected of undermining the government.

A friend of the couple said they feared the missionaries, who moved to Gambia 12 years ago, had fallen victim to power games in the tiny African state.

"As a chaplain part of David's job is to provide comfort to all sorts of people, people high up and people low down – and people who have perhaps fallen out of favour," said the friend, who did not wish to be named.

"I don't know of anything they have done that could be called sedition. Their whole focus has been teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"Sedition is a serious crime anywhere. The penalty would not be light. >>> By Matthew Moore | December 5, 2008

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