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US welcomes release of Imam Baba Leigh

May 14, 2013, 9:37 AM

The United States says Monday that it welcomes the release of Imam Baba Leigh ‘from National Intelligence Agency (NIA) custody’ after being held incommunicado for over five months.

In a statement issued yesterday through its Embassy in Banjul, the US Department of State ‘urged the Government of The Gambia to act in accordance with its laws as well as its international obligations and to uphold its commitment to rule of law.’

In another statement issued earlier last week, the US Embassy said it continues to be greatly concerned about the welfare and safety of Imam Baba Leigh, five months after he disappeared.

It said as a leading Islamic scholar, Imam Baba Leigh is a frequent interlocutor of the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Department of State and is known as a trusted religious leader throughout The Gambia.