Disir
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Court proceedings have begun in the Republic of Sudan for two pastors. The Rev. Yat Michael and the Rev. Peter Yen Reith of the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church were detained without charge in December 2014 and January 2015, respectively. In a May 4 hearing the pastors were charged under Sudan’s Criminal Act of 1991 for offenses ranging from undermining the constitutional system or endangering the unity and independence of the country to espionage and blasphemy.
Michael, 49, was detained by Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) on December 14, 2014, at the end of a service at Bahri Evangelical Church in Khartoum. On January 11, 2015, Reith, 36, was detained by the NISS after attending a prayer meeting in Khartoum.
“This is not ‘something new’ for our church,” says the Rev. Tut Kony, pastor of the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church. “Almost all pastors have gone to jail under the government of Sudan. We have been stoned and beaten. This is their habit to pull down the church. We are not surprised. This is the way they deal with the church.”
Stated Clerk Grayde Parsons and Heath Rada, moderator of the 221st General Assembly (2014), sent a letter to Ambassador Donald Booth, U.S. special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, to urge him to pursue diplomatic channels to learn more about the detainment of the pastors and to ensure their human and civil rights are respected fully. The PC(USA) has also reached out to human rights organizations to encourage them to take action to secure the pastors’ release and to urge the government of Sudan to respect diversity and protect religious freedom for all its people.
...The pastors face multiple charges, some of which are deemed crimes against the state. As such, if convicted, they could face life imprisonment or the death penalty, or lesser punishments including a jail sentence, a fine, or 40 lashes.
Presbyterian Church U.S.A. - News Announcements - Trial begins for two Presbyterian pastors in Sudan
So, I went looking to see what they were charged with and this popped up:
This is from December 28. 2014. It is starting to look like this is in the top twenty ways to circumvent legal ownership of property AND nail the Christians that own it. A twofer.
With Muslim investors laying claim to the land based on an agreement signed by a government-installed church committee that church leaders say did not legally represent the church, a bulldozer accompanied by security personnel and police knocked down a wall of the church and houses on Nov. 17-18. Christians formed a human barrier to face down further demolition attempts on Nov. 19-20.
One of the homes destroyed in the compound belonged to Nile Theological College; a Christian doctor had rented it, and he lost all his belongings, sources said.
The bulldozer, accompanied by NISS personnel and police, carried out the demolitions based on a court order demanding that church leaders surrender the premises to Muslim investors. The church committee of members that the Sudanese government interposed made a secret agreement with the investors to sell the church property as part of Sudan’s campaign to do away with Christianity in the country, church leaders said.
Church members regard the committee that arranged the transfer of the property to business interests as a “government puppet committee” supporting the government agenda to do away with Christianity.
Last month authorities destroyed the home of pastor Hafiz Fasaha at the SPEC church compound after ordering personnel inside to leave the premises, church leaders said. Authorities told the Christians a Muslim businessman owned the land and that they had a court order calling for the use of force to take over the property.
While the church blames the government for the court order that it surrender the property, a representative of the Muslim businessmen laying claim to it has said a contract was signed about four years ago giving them the right to invest in the land for a period of up to 20 years. The representative asserts that because of church opposition he had to go to the government to take the land by force.
Church leaders hold ownership papers to the property and believe any contract surrendering it comes from a government ruse.
South Sudanese Pastor Jailed after Preaching at North Khartoum Church
And these are the charges, I think:
According to the Morning star news , the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) officials have charged the Rev. Yat Michael and the Rev. Peter Yein Reith (also transliterated as Peter Yen Reith) with undermining the constitutional system (Article 50 of the Sudan Penal Code) and spying (Article 53) – offenses punishable by death or life imprisonment – and waging war against the state (Article 51), which calls for the death sentence.
Sudan Release Reverend Peter Yen and Reverend Yat Michael -
Michael, 49, was detained by Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) on December 14, 2014, at the end of a service at Bahri Evangelical Church in Khartoum. On January 11, 2015, Reith, 36, was detained by the NISS after attending a prayer meeting in Khartoum.
“This is not ‘something new’ for our church,” says the Rev. Tut Kony, pastor of the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church. “Almost all pastors have gone to jail under the government of Sudan. We have been stoned and beaten. This is their habit to pull down the church. We are not surprised. This is the way they deal with the church.”
Stated Clerk Grayde Parsons and Heath Rada, moderator of the 221st General Assembly (2014), sent a letter to Ambassador Donald Booth, U.S. special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, to urge him to pursue diplomatic channels to learn more about the detainment of the pastors and to ensure their human and civil rights are respected fully. The PC(USA) has also reached out to human rights organizations to encourage them to take action to secure the pastors’ release and to urge the government of Sudan to respect diversity and protect religious freedom for all its people.
...The pastors face multiple charges, some of which are deemed crimes against the state. As such, if convicted, they could face life imprisonment or the death penalty, or lesser punishments including a jail sentence, a fine, or 40 lashes.
Presbyterian Church U.S.A. - News Announcements - Trial begins for two Presbyterian pastors in Sudan
So, I went looking to see what they were charged with and this popped up:
This is from December 28. 2014. It is starting to look like this is in the top twenty ways to circumvent legal ownership of property AND nail the Christians that own it. A twofer.
With Muslim investors laying claim to the land based on an agreement signed by a government-installed church committee that church leaders say did not legally represent the church, a bulldozer accompanied by security personnel and police knocked down a wall of the church and houses on Nov. 17-18. Christians formed a human barrier to face down further demolition attempts on Nov. 19-20.
One of the homes destroyed in the compound belonged to Nile Theological College; a Christian doctor had rented it, and he lost all his belongings, sources said.
The bulldozer, accompanied by NISS personnel and police, carried out the demolitions based on a court order demanding that church leaders surrender the premises to Muslim investors. The church committee of members that the Sudanese government interposed made a secret agreement with the investors to sell the church property as part of Sudan’s campaign to do away with Christianity in the country, church leaders said.
Church members regard the committee that arranged the transfer of the property to business interests as a “government puppet committee” supporting the government agenda to do away with Christianity.
Last month authorities destroyed the home of pastor Hafiz Fasaha at the SPEC church compound after ordering personnel inside to leave the premises, church leaders said. Authorities told the Christians a Muslim businessman owned the land and that they had a court order calling for the use of force to take over the property.
While the church blames the government for the court order that it surrender the property, a representative of the Muslim businessmen laying claim to it has said a contract was signed about four years ago giving them the right to invest in the land for a period of up to 20 years. The representative asserts that because of church opposition he had to go to the government to take the land by force.
Church leaders hold ownership papers to the property and believe any contract surrendering it comes from a government ruse.
South Sudanese Pastor Jailed after Preaching at North Khartoum Church
And these are the charges, I think:
According to the Morning star news , the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) officials have charged the Rev. Yat Michael and the Rev. Peter Yein Reith (also transliterated as Peter Yen Reith) with undermining the constitutional system (Article 50 of the Sudan Penal Code) and spying (Article 53) – offenses punishable by death or life imprisonment – and waging war against the state (Article 51), which calls for the death sentence.
Sudan Release Reverend Peter Yen and Reverend Yat Michael -
