News from the oppressed

Eritrea
Release Eritrea!, a human rights group working to restore freedom of religion to the people of Eritrea and release for those imprisoned for their faith, says that security forces in Asmara stormed and detained around 80 high school students in a public park where they were holding an end of term party. The government of Eritrea seems to have intensified its purge against Eritrean evangelicals and members of the closed churches by removing not only their rights to religious freedom, but also their rights to any form of social life. There is great concern for these youths, given the record of the government of Eritrea concerning prisoners and detainees.

Nigeria
Andrew Akume, a Christian lecturer and dean of the faculty of law at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Kaduna State, has disappeared after receiving a death sentence from a militant Muslim group. Shortly before his disappearance, Akume submitted a petition to ABU denying accusations that he had blasphemed Mohammed. The Christian Association of Nigeria has submitted a memorandum to the nation's National Political Reform Conference, cataloging cases of persecution and discrimination against Christians. It states that while the Nigerian constitution professes a secular status for the nation, the 12 states in Northern Nigeria that have implemented Islamic law promote and propagate Islam using public funds.

Pakistan
Sources have told The Voice of the Martyrs that at 10:00 p.m., on Tuesday, June 28th, the homes of Christians in three areas near Peshawar, Pakistan were attacked by a radical Muslim mob. The attacks came after a Christian man was accused earlier that day of burning pages that contained Koranic verses. The man, Yousaf Masih (about 60 years old), has worked as a sweeper for almost two decades for the Pakistani military. While cleaning the home of a military officer, he came across a bag of "rough papers," and the major told Yousaf to burn them. Yousaf is illiterate and had no way of knowing what was written on the papers he was told to burn. Other workers saw the papers and said Yousaf was burning pages from the Koran. The next day police arrested Yousaf. (Insulting Islam, the Prophet Mohammed or the Koran can be punishable by death under Pakistan's harsh anti-blasphemy laws.) Radical Muslims returned to the area that night and burned an estimated 200 houses. Many were looted by members of the mob, who stole televisions, refrigerators and other items. The mob beat Yousaf's three sons and his brother, Yaqoob. Police have reportedly arrested 16 people involved in the attacks. A Hindu temple was also attacked, as apparently the mob at first believed Yousaf was a Hindu.

Saudi Arabia
Five East Africans arrested on April 29th, and detained for a month for leading a private Christian worship service in Riyadh have been released and allowed to return to their jobs in the Saudi Arabian capital. Three weeks after their May 30th release, the three Ethiopians and two Eritreans have been given no indication that they will lose their jobs or be subjected to deportation as a result of their detention. The men were interrogated extensively, initially while blindfolded the first seven days, but were not physically mistreated. Within the past two months, at least three groups of expatriate Christians meeting privately for worship in Riyadh have been raided and their leaders put under arrest for several days or weeks. Under the rule of strict Islamic law, Saudi Arabia prohibits the public practice of any religion other than Islam within its borders.

Turkey
The Orhangazi Criminal Court in northwestern Turkey has set July 8th as the date to assess new medical reports on the condition of Turkish Christian Yakup Cindilli, still recovering from severe injuries inflicted in October 2003, by ultra-nationalists accusing him of "missionary propaganda." The trial against his attackers was postponed for 15 months so the court could determine the extent of Cindilli's injuries. "After more than 40 days in a coma," the pastor of the Bursa Protestant Church commented, "it's a miracle that Yakup is alive today." Cindilli's family reportedly wants his court case to conclude at the July 8th hearing, without trying to obtain compensation from his attackers for his long-term disabilities. But that decision now remains with Cindilli, who has recovered sufficiently to speak for himself. Despite pressures from his religiously conservative Muslim family to renounce his faith, "Yakup is very committed to stay faithful to Jesus, in spite of what happened," a member of the Bursa church noted.

Uzbekistan
A member of a Pentecostal church in Tashkent has been tortured while in police custody following his June 14th arrest. According to Forum 18 News Service, other church members have been "summoned and threatened." Kural Bekjanov, 19, has been tortured both by police officers and cell mates in an attempt to pressure him to abandon his Christian faith. When his mother Gulya was finally allowed to see him at Tashkent city police station on June 26th, he had lost weight, had difficulty walking, and his fingers and legs were covered in blood. "Yesterday police threatened to put him on a chair wired up to the electricity-believe me, all this is happening," a church member told Forum 18. He was initially accused of being involved in the murder of a 65-year-old U.S. citizen of Korean origin, Kim Khen Pen Khin, who had worked with Pentecostal churches in Tashkent. Although the accusations against Kural were dropped two days after his arrest, church members told Forum 18 that when the police found out he was a Christian, they started to beat him. Protestants have complained of a widespread crackdown affecting churches across Uzbekistan.

You can read about these and other news items at the Voice of the Martyrs web site.