British missionaries sentenced to hard labour in Gambia

3 hours ago

BANJUL (AFP) — A Gambian court on Tuesday handed two British missionaries one-year prison terms with hard labour after they pleaded guilty last week to sedition charges.

David and Fiona Fulton who were arrested in Banjul on November 29 were also fined 250,000 Dalasis (9,325 dollars, 6,750 euros).

As the judge read out the sentences, the couple and some of their friends present in court burst into tears. Before the judge entered the courtroom the Fultons, both dressed in black, stood up to pray together ahead of the judgement.

The husband and wife missionary team had admitted to publishing e-mails with seditious comments with the intent to bring hatred or contempt against Gambia's president or the government.

"I found the offences of the accused party to be very shocking and they have shown no respect for the country, the government and the president of the republic. I will send a clear message to the offenders," presiding magistrate Idrissa Mbai said.

"I therefore sentence you to a fine of 250,000 Dalasis... and mandatory jail time of one year with hard labour," he said. If the two do not pay the fine they face an additional six months in prison.

The Fultons can lodge an appeal within 20 days but it was not immediately clear if they would do so. Their lawyer Antouman Gaye told AFP he had not yet had contact with his clients regarding an appeal.

The Fultons, who have been living in Gambia since 1999, have ties to the Westhoughton Pentecostal Church outside Bolton in northwest England.

According to the church's website, Fulton is chaplain for the Gambian army and has a ministry on the river, which involves reaching villages only accessible by boat. His wife looks after terminally ill people.

According to the Gambian authorities the couple are also running an educational centre and provided free medical care for prison inmates.

Last week the two missionaries pleaded guilty to charges of sedition against the government of President Yahya Jammeh. They issued a public apology but their remorse did not mollify the judge.

Both David Fulton, 60, and his 46-year-old wife Fiona, who have been in custody since their arrest, were taken to Banjul's Mile Two prison immediately after the verdict was read out. Ironically, they will be held in the same prison they visited regularly as part of their missionary work.

The couple also have an adopted two-year-old daughter who was present in the courtroom. In a heartbreaking scene at the start of the ruling the judge ordered the toddler to be removed because her cries of "Mommy, mommy" were disturbing the court proceedings.

Gambia, a tiny west African country inside Senegal, has been criticised in recent years for its human rights record. Jammeh, an outspoken military officer and former wrestler, has ruled the former British colony since seizing power in a bloodless coup in 1994.

Last month Amnesty International published a report that said Jammeh's opponents are subjected to daily rights violations including torture and unlawful arrests.

The British deputy commissioner in Gambia Graham Birse told AFP that he had been notified about the ruling but would not comment on it.

This ruling is the first time foreign nationals have been convicted of sedition in the Gambia. Earlier this year there were two cases of Gambian journalists convicted on charges of sedition, which is incitement of resistance against lawful authority, but both got away with fines and did not have to serve jail time.

Observers say the conviction of the British couple could backfire for Gambia which is largely dependent on tourism revenues. Nearly half of the some 100,000 tourists that visit the country are British.

Yes. Heard about this also and very sad. Do you know where their adopted child was taken to?

Wow, what can one say? I will make sure to watch my mouth!

The little girls been cared for by family members, from what I gather shes safe if not a little bewildered.