British government says missionary has been freed from Gambian jail after 20 months

UK says missionary freed from Gambian jail

LONDON — Britain’s Foreign Office says that a missionary has been freed from a Gambian jail after serving nearly two years for sedition.

The office said Saturday it had been informed of David Fulton’s release earlier this week but could not say whether he had returned to the U.K.

Fulton’s wife, Fiona, who was arrested along with her husband after allegedly sending a letter criticizing the West African nation’s government, was released in December and has since returned to Britain.

Both pleaded guilty at their trial in 2008.

Gambia, a sliver of land within Senegal, has been ruled by the regime of Yayha Jammeh since he grabbed power in a 1994 coup. Critics say that his repressive government stifles free expression.