- The Gambian government has charged two British Christian missionaries for allegedly publishing negative articles abroad to excite disaffection against the president and the government of the West African state.
The couple David and his wife Fiona who are kept in custody, were arrested on 29 September following a tip off to the police, have appeared in court charged with sedition last Saturday.
According to local media, the couple, who have lived in the country for 12 years, have pleaded not guilty, and were offered bail on condition that four Gambian property owners would vouch for them. However no Gambians had come to rescue the Britons. Their case has been adjourned until December 16.
Mr Fulton, a former army major, is said to be held at high-security Mile Two prison outside the capital, Banjul while Mrs Fulton is being held with the couple's two-year-old adopted daughter at a police station in Banjul. They have two other children, Iona, 20, and Luke, 17.
According to their church's website, the Fultons first visited the Gambia as tourists.
The statement said Mr Fulton became the chaplain for the Gambian army, and his wife was in charge of the chaplaincy at the airport. The site said she had looked after the terminally ill in recent years, and that he had trained army chaplains before moving on to a "river ministry", visiting remote villages and "immigration outposts".
"This is a major challenge, as it involves a 10-day trip up-river every month. But by God's grace he sees many won for the Lord from Islam and animism," it said.
Pastor Martin Speed, of Westhoughton Pentecostal Church, said the couple had visited his church to talk about their work, adding that the work they are doing was not political.
"He's sharing his Christian faith. There does seem to be a growing difficulty of Christians in the Gambia," he said.
The Gambia is one of Africa's smallest countries and has been ruled by President Yahya Jammeh since 1994, when he seized power.
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