Even as hundreds of thousands demonstrate in favor of secular government in Turkey, the Turkish government again demonstrates that it is not interested in according all religious groups equality of rights.
“Turkey: Four Street Evangelists Jailed,” from Compass Direct:
ISTANBUL, April 27 (Compass Direct News) — Police jailed four Christian street evangelists in Istanbul for “missionary activity” this week, even as government officials openly defended the right of all religious groups to carry out evangelistic work in Turkey.
Officials released U.S. citizen David Byle this evening, more than 48 hours after he was arrested along with a Korean and two Turkish Christians, his wife said.
Christian sources maintained that Turkey plans to deport the Korean believer, though further details remain unknown.
The four men were detained Wednesday afternoon (April 25) while sharing their Christian faith with passersby at a park in Istanbul’s Taksim district.
Speaking earlier to Compass from his detention cell at the new foreigners branch of the Turkish security police in Kumkapi, Byle said that an official police report charged the evangelists with missionary activity, disturbing the peace and insulting Islam.