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Sudan Rules Two Christian Pastors Can Be Charged with Crimes Punishable by Death

Jul 6, 2015 7:29 pm By Ralph Sidway

“Light evidence presented to back heavy charges.” — An update on this story.

“Judge in Sudan Rules Two Pastors Can Be Charged with Crimes Punishable by Death,” Morning Star News, July 3, 2015:

JUBA, South Sudan (Morning Star News) – A judge in Sudan ruled yesterday that there was enough evidence to charge two South Sudanese pastors with crimes punishable by death.

The charges, including espionage and promoting hatred among or against sects, were formed months after authorities arrested the Rev. Yat Michael in December 2014 and the Rev. Peter Yein Reith in January in response to their efforts to encourage a North Khartoum church in the face of a government-aided take-over of the church’s property.

On Wednesday (July 1), authorities arrested the pastors’ attorney as he tried to defend the government’s demolition of a part of the church property. Even before his arrest, the court had previously barred him from meeting with his clients.

Given the Islamist bias in Sudan’s court system, yesterday’s ruling appalled but did not surprise observers who have watched as officials from Sudan’s National Security and Intelligence Services (NISS) have presented the same “evidence” taken from the pastor’s computers – maps and other easily accessible documents – at each hearing over the past two months. The American Center for Liberty and Justice (ACLJ) reported that NISS also presented as evidence a study guide on NISS allegedly found on one of laptops that NISS agents confiscated, and that the pastors told the judge they do not know how the guide got onto the computer.

“Besides these documents, the only evidence brought by the prosecution against the Christian pastors was a sermon Pastor Michael gave, a sermon that was supported by Christian doctrine shared by their common denomination,” Tiffany Barrans, international legal director at the ACLJ, said in a statement.

The charge of spying (Article 53 of the Sudanese Penal Code) is punishable by death, life imprisonment or prison and confiscation of property. The charge of promoting hatred among or against sects (Article 64) is punishable by up to two years in prison. The pastors are also charged with undermining the constitutional system (Article 50), punishable by death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment and confiscation of property; disclosure and obtaining information and official documents (Article 55), punishable by two years in prison or a fine; blasphemy/insulting religious creeds (Article 125), punishable by one year of imprisonment or a fine or no more than 40 lashes; disturbance of the public peace (Article 69), punishable by six months of prison, or a fine or no more than 20 lashes; and joint acts in execution of a criminal conspiracy (Article 21).

The judge told the defense attorney he had 10 to 15 minutes to prepare his defense, according to the ACLJ. When the attorney said he needed more time, a hearing was set for July 14.

The pastors’ attorney requested access to his clients at the end of Thursday’s hearing, but the judge said he had the authority only to grant him visitation in court. The right to access to an attorney is guaranteed under Sudanese law.

Attorney, Pastor Arrested

The pastors’ attorney, Mohaned Mustafa, was arrested on Wednesday (July 1) along with a pastor of the church that has been at the center of the legal conflicts, Khartoum Bhari Evangelical Church.

Police arrived at the property with a demolition team and a government order to destroy one section, so the church summoned its attorney, Mustafa, according to the ACLJ. When he arrived, he reviewed the order and pointed out that police were instructing the team to demolish one section of the church compound, while the government order said to destroy another, ACLJ reported.

“He spoke with the engineer on the scene and reviewed the land plot map. Both agreed that they had been pointed to the wrong area,” ACLJ reported. “The engineer took the matter up with the police present, who were angered by the situation. The police then arrested Pastor Hafez and put him in handcuffs. Rather than taking him to the police station by car, which is roughly 200 meters from the church, the police forced the pastor to walk to the police station, parading him through the public market with his hands shackled.”

While the pastor was in detention, authorities struck him on the side of his head with a gun with such force that he required x-rays after his release, according to Middle East Concern.

Mustafa remained and observed as police told the engineer that they did not care if their demolition directions were incorrect. Police soon told the attorney he had no right to be there, and when he calmly refuted the claim, officers arrested him, ACLJ stated. Mustafa and the pastor were released on bail, charged with obstructing a public servant during the course of his duty (Article 99), punishable by up to six months imprisonment, a fine or both.

On June 4, the two South Sudanese pastors were transferred from a low-security prison in Omdurman to the high-security Kober Prison in Khartoum North and are being held in separate cells. Michael, 49, was arrested after speaking at the church service in Khartoum, and the 36-year-old Reith was arrested on Jan. 11 after submitting a letter from leaders of their denomination, the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SSPEC), inquiring about the whereabouts of Michael.

The Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church that Michael had encouraged in December was the subject of government harassment, arrests and demolition of part of its worship center as Muslim investors have tried to take it over. NISS is manned by hard-line Islamists who are given broad powers to arrest Christians, black Africans, South Sudanese and other people lowly regarded in the country that President Omar al-Bashir has pledged will be fully Arabic and Islamic. The charges appear to be based solely on the two pastors’ nationality, race and faith, sources said….

On Oct. 5, 2013, Sudan’s police and security forces broke through the church fence, beat and arrested Christians in the compound and asserted parts of the property belonged to a Muslim investor accompanying them. As Muslims nearby shouted, “Allahu Akbar [God is greater],” plainclothes police and personnel from NISS broke onto the property aboard a truck and two Land Cruisers. After beating several Christians who were in the compound, they arrested some of them; they were all released later that day….

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Filed Under: blasphemy, Muslim persecution of Christians, Sudan Tagged With: Peter Yen Reith, South Sudan Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Yat Michael


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Comments

  1. nicu says

    Jul 6, 2015 at 7:32 pm

    Somalis , Sudanese stream to Europe – but never Christians 🙁 They ” drown ” into the Mediterrian Sea …

  2. mortimer says

    Jul 6, 2015 at 7:59 pm

    Muslims always try to enforce the Pact of Omar, even though much of isn’t in Sharia law, though much of it is.

    Muslims are intolerant to everyone, including to other Muslims. Sharia law creates mass poverty and REFUGEES.

    • Ayatrollah says

      Jul 7, 2015 at 9:07 am

      The pact of Omar is shariah law

  3. Angemon says

    Jul 6, 2015 at 8:48 pm

    Blasphemy laws at work, people. Sorry, I meant “criminalizing incitement to violence based on religion” laws – that’s how they’re trying to fly them under the radar.

    • john spielman says

      Jul 7, 2015 at 1:52 pm

      islam IS incitement to hate kill and destroy because allah IS SATAN, and Satan has been a liar murderer and thief from the beginning

      • TruthWFree says

        Jul 7, 2015 at 6:50 pm

        I’m with you. All logic confirms the allah god is Satan…even Jesus’ words about Satan being the father of all lies.

  4. Matthieu Baudin says

    Jul 6, 2015 at 10:41 pm

    We cannot afford to go silent on this case.

    • Cecilia Ellis says

      Jul 7, 2015 at 12:36 am

      Matthieu, you are right! I just received a letter today from the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), whose Chief Counsel is Jay Sekulow. Here are extracts from that letter:

      “We are fighting urgent battles for the lives of Christians who are facing astonishing levels of persecution at the hands of radical Islamists all over the world.

      Asia Bibi, a young Christian mother in Pakistan, is on death row for “blasphemy.”

      According to the latest reports about her incarceration, she’s ill — bleeding internally, growing weaker . . . .

      But we’ve mobilized offices on the ground in Pakistan and our team at the United Nations (U.N.) to fight for her freedom; her case has been appealed to Pakistan’s Supreme Court. We are also working with Congress to pressure the Pakistani government to intervene.

      We continue to fight for the lives of two Christian pastors being subjected to a jihadist sham trial, held in Sudan’s notorious torture-prison on trumped-up charges.”

      ACLJ website is: http://www.ACLJ.org

  5. tgusa says

    Jul 7, 2015 at 3:51 am

    To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up.
    Ecclesiastes 3

    • bill walker says

      Jul 7, 2015 at 6:00 pm

      Yes. Your quote from Eccliesiastes sounds exactly like the insane, hateful quotes from Mohammad’s paranoid poison.

      e

      s

      sounds

      • tgusa says

        Jul 8, 2015 at 3:30 am

        Bill, you pathetic soul. Women are being sold into sex slavery and you believe that my quote is horrific, wow. You sir (and I use the term sir, very loosely) are something that I will not describe on this forum. You know what you are already.. yes you do, be brave for once in your pathetic life and admit it.I cannot describe the likes of you on this board because I have manners bit I will say that your type repulses me. good day to you… and gfys billboy.

        • Joseph says

          Jul 10, 2015 at 5:21 am

          @ tgusa “and gfys billboy.”
          ________________________

          Nice ending…..knocked me right off my chair

  6. tgusa says

    Jul 7, 2015 at 3:53 am

    To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up
    Ecclesiastes 3

    • particolor says

      Jul 7, 2015 at 4:46 am

      And a Time to cut off EVERY Penny of Aid to Pakistan !! 🙁 🙁

      They are LAUGHING at You !!

      • tgusa says

        Jul 7, 2015 at 5:05 am

        Sir, they are not laughing at me nor my fellow Americans they are laughing at the US government and that my friend is a very different issue. Throughout time, modern time, we have been laughed at by the very best of monsters of the past and I will assure you that we always get the last laugh.We will. Although as true Americans we never laugh over the bodies of the dead enemy. it is bad karma and UN-Christian don’t you know! I prefer my enemy arrogant and underestimating, YES! Of course as most true Americans know and realize, with that sort you need a fairly large grave digging detail.

        They can laugh all day and I hope all night too, after all I promote and encourage that all the way.

        • particolor says

          Jul 7, 2015 at 6:41 am

          I think You Misunderstood the *You* part of that ? It was meant as Anyone who gives the Barbarians any Aid ! Muslims take that as Weakness and Submission ! Jizra Etc. !! It wont be the almighty that comes to judge us first ! But Hoards of Blood Thirsty Barbarians that the West has Aided in Ignorance ! They have had their Plan on hold for YEARS until they have Infiltrated every Country with enough Jihadi Warriors to strike the necks of anyone in their path !! 🙁 I’m sorry I was so “Moderate” with that ! They prance around here like they own the joint already? And get BAIL for Horrendous Crimes ! If Your ever in a Minor Traffic Accident with a car load of them, Drive off in a BIG HURRY and explain it later to the Police ! Better late than Never !!

        • tgusa says

          Jul 8, 2015 at 3:44 am

          I have a long and storied reputation on this site. Look me up, tgusa is my call sign. I have been saying what is being said now(what took so long dammit) for over 10 years. Back in those days I was called insane! Tiny minority pf extremists and all that. LOLOLOL!

          Right and truth always win out if you push ahead and never ever ever surrender!

          Good luck and godspeed my friend.

  7. ICH says

    Jul 7, 2015 at 7:43 am

    Sharpton ??? Jackson ? ……………………were u guys at?!

  8. epistemology says

    Jul 7, 2015 at 12:03 pm

    Omar al Bashir is wanted by an international arrest warrant for crimes against humanity. That says it all. The Sudanese judicial system was made by subhuman monsters like the whole sharia. There is no dignity under sharia. I hope the civilised world will intervene for these poor pastors. They deserve our help

  9. Walter Sieruk says

    Jul 7, 2015 at 1:59 pm

    Of course those vicious Muslims in power want to murder those two Christian pastors . This is ,somewhat explained in the Bible. For the Bible teaches “Bloodthirsty men hate a man of integrity and seek to kill the upright.” Proverbs 29:10. [N.I.V.]

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