FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

ICC Requests Pardon for Imprisoned
UK Missionary Couple in Gambia

 

You are free to disseminate the following news. We request that you reference ICC (International Christian Concern) and include our web address www.www.persecution.org. Contact Jonathan Racho, Regional Manager for Africa, 1-800-ICC (422)-5441, jonathan@www.persecution.org
 
(January 21, 2009) The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.www.persecution.org has learned that a missionary couple from the United Kingdom have been sentenced to one year of imprisonment with hard labor in the West African country of The Gambia. The missionaries were successful in rendering humanitarian service and sharing the gospel in the Muslim majority country.

 

The sentence which was passed on December 30, 2008, also includes a fine of 250,000 dalasis (about $ 9,524). According to the court, the couple will be imprisoned for an additional six months if they do not pay the fine.

 

David Fulton, 60, and his wife, Fiona, 47, have been living in The Gambia for the past ten years. Mr. Fulton worked to spread the gospel in remote villages of The Gambia, and Mrs. Fulton was mainly involved in humanitarian assistance to poor and marginalized people.

 

“They are evangelical missionaries who have seen some people come to know the Lord. There is no political motive in what they do at all,” said Martin Speed in the statement he gave to ICC. Mr. Speed is the Pastor of the Westhoughton Pentecostal Church in Bolton, England. His church was one of the churches that had been financially supporting David and Fiona.

 

A friend of the couple who spoke to ICC indicated that David is understood to be suffering form scurvy and has not yet received medical attention. Fiona may also be suffering from a mouth ulcer.

 

ICC has also learned that The Gambian authorities have barred anyone from visiting the couple for a period of one month beginning from the date of sentencing.  

 

Sedition Charges

 

Gambian authorities accused the couple of making seditious statements in the emails they wrote to their friends and supporters in the UK. Following the verdict, the government controlled newspaper, Daily Observer, stated, “Apparently, the aim of David and his wife was to inflict maximum damage on the exemplary relationship that exists between the two religions of Christianity and Islam in this unquestionably peaceful nation.”

 

David and Fiona pleaded guilty to the allegation of sedition after consulting with their lawyer. Following the verdict, they also wrote a letter to the president of The Gambia pleading for clemency. In the letter they wrote, “We certainly had no intention to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the president or the government of the Gambia. We humbly apologise totally, unreservedly and without exception for anything and everything that we have said that has caused offence and we fully and publicly withdraw any such remarks. We apologise to the Security Services for the trouble we have caused them.”

 

ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, Jonathan Racho, stated, “We politely ask the officials of the government of The Gambia to release David and Fiona considering their relentless effort to help the poor and the marginalized section of the society in the county and considering the poor state of their health.” He also added, “We would like to ask his Excellency Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh, the president of The Gambia, to accept the couple’s plea for clemency.”  

 

Please pray for the safe release of David and Fiona and for their health. Pray that God will give them comfort and courage as they go through this difficult time.

 

Please call The Gambian embassies in your countries and politely ask officials of The Gambia to release the missionary couple.

 

Gambian Embassies: 

 

Country	Phone	Fax	Email
USA	(202) 785-1399, 1379, 1425	(202) 785-1430	info@gambiaembassy.us
UK	020 79376316, 020 79376317, 020 79376318	020 79379095	gambia@gamhighcom.fsnet.co.uk
Belgium	+32(0)2640 10 49	+32(0)2 646 3277	info@gambiaembassy.be
Germany	(+49)30-89 68 98 01	(+49)30-89 68 98 11
Canada	(416) 440 0777	(416)322 4996	CGGambia@aol.com
Switzerland	(+41)1 755 40 48	(+41)1 755 40 41	Pr-kfs@pr-kfs.ch

 

                       

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 21st, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Gambia, Press Release, Saudi Arabia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.