GatheredTogether.org » persecution

Christian Shot 8 Times in Pakistan for Refusing to Pay Protection Money

seniorSOY — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:44:22 +0000

Washington, D.C. – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that a Christian businessman was shot eight times in the legs while driving through Lahore, Pakistan on July 7 after refusing to pay protection money to a Muslim.Suqlain Shah, an ex-policeman, and another man, Sudia, stopped Ayub Gill’s car at 2:25 in the afternoon as Ayub was going to buy a property in a nearby town. Ayub’s brother Babar was driving and two other relatives were in the back seat. Suqlain pulled out a gun and dragged Babar out of the driver’s seat, threatening to kill him. Suqlain then got in the driver’s seat and shot Ayub eight times in the legs. After stealing $2,500, they fled on bicycles. Ayub is now recovering in the hospital, but the doctors do not know if he will be able to walk again.

Immediately following the shooting, Ayub’s brothers went to the police station to submit a report, but it was only accepted after five hours of delay and harassment, partly because Suqlain’s brother is a constable in the police force. The police have taken no action to prosecute this case.

Mobeena, Ayub’s sister, told ICC, “Suqlain is still free and hanging around. The government has done nothing to help us, even though my brother is a prominent businessman. We feel insecure, our children are too scared to go out anymore – please help us, we need justice.”

When ICC contacted the Pakistani embassy in Washington, D.C., embassy officials denied any knowledge of the incident and stated, “Pakistani police stations do not ask if someone is Muslim or Christian – they don’t discriminate on that basis.” However, according to ICC sources, police regularly ascertain religious affiliation for identification even though it is not required on report forms.

Please call your Pakistani embassy to ask for justice for Ayub Gill and his family.

Pakistan Embassies:

USA:         (202) 243-6500
Canada:     (613) 238-7881
UK:         0870-005-6967

Rock Church Pastor and Wife Sentenced to One Year of Labor Camp in Henan

seniorSOY — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:21:54 +0000

Rock House Church -- abolished and sealed by authorities.

HENAN, CHINA /Christian Newswire/ — Pastor Dou Shaowen and his wife Feng Lu of Rock (Panshi) Church in Zhengzhou city, Henan, were sentenced to one year of re- education through labor for “engaging in illegal religious activities.” Attorney Li Dunyong has traveled to Zhengzhou city to represent Pastor Dou and Feng Lu for the Administrative Review and Appeal.

While Pastor Dou Shaowen is imprisoned at the labor camp, officials released Feng Lu on the evening of June 25. Authorities have permitted Feng Lu to serve her sentence at home, in order to care for their 12- year-old daughter. She is required to report to the Public Security Bureau regularly, and could be sent to labor camp again if she is found “engaging in illegal religious activities” again.

Pastor Dou Shaowen and his wife Feng Lu were arrested on June 14, when several dozen officials from Zhengzhou Municipal Bureau of Religion and Zhengzhou Municipal Bureau of State broke into the church’s Sunday worship service. Officials forcibly photographed and videotaped the more than 100 Christians present, cut off the electricity and forced the Christians to leave. Finally, the authorities posted sealing tape from the Bureau of Religion, sealing off all the worship areas of Rock Church. Five other Christians, Li Zhemin, Wei Jianhua, Zhang Julin, Ma Jianbo and Li Cuiying were arrested with Pastor Dou and Feng Lu. Each of the five were sentenced to 15 days of administrative detention and were forced to pay a 800-900 yuan fine.

Contact Zhengzhou city authorities to ask for the immediate release of Pastor Dou Shaowen and Feng Lu, and the five Christians sentenced to administrative detention.

Zhengzhou Mayor Tel +86-371-12345 Mayor’s E-mail: mayor@zhengzhou.gov.cn
Zhengzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau office to report phone +86-371-66228710
Zhengzhou City, People’s Procuratorate +86-371- 68985078
Zhengzhou Intermediate People’s Court reported Phone +86-371-68983950
Jin-shui County Government +86-371-3526200
Henan People’s Radio Station +86-371-65723998
Zhengzhou People’s Broadcasting Station +86-371- 68982487
Henan TV +86-371-65723657
Zhengzhou television +86-371-68982886

Read Dou Shaowen’s Re-education Through Labor Decision Statement.

Read Feng Lu’s Re-education Through Labor Decision Statement.

2008 Persecution Report

seniorSOY — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 15:16:45 +0000

/Christian Newswire/ — ChinaAid announces the release of the 2008 Persecution Report, documenting significant increase of persecution of house church Christians in China, during the past year. In a few days, China’s human rights record will be reviewed by the UN. On February 9 the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) will host a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva, Switzerland during which China’s review will take place. NGOs from around the world submitted reports of human rights abuses in China for this meeting, including reports on the persecution of house church Christians. Many NGOs have complained that the final summary which will be used during the UPR does not significantly address human rights abuse issues, including the persecution of house church Christians. ChinaAid urges UN member nations and citizens of those nations to appeal for accurate reports to be used during the UPR on China. The 2008 Persecution Report documents the confirmed reports received by ChinaAid. While it is not comprehensive of all the abuses of human rights and religious freedom in China, it covers the majority of provinces and municipalities in China and involves many types of persecution and indicates a trend towards targeting Christians in urban areas with tougher tactics.

The year of the Beijing Olympic Games marks a year of increased persecution of house church Christians. In 2008, the total number of house church Christians persecuted in the nation increased 157%. In Beijing alone, persecution increased 418%.

It is important to note that persecution of Christians is clearly human rights abuse. The Chinese government does not recognize the human rights of house church Christians because they are not members of the registered church. One Chinese Christian observed the universal implications of their suffering, “If someone thinks that … Chinese Christians are striving only for Christianity and the Chinese nation, he misunderstands, because they firmly believe that what they suffer is the sacrifice for human dignity and freedom.”

China Aid urges recipients of this information to hold the Chinese government responsible for the human rights abuses against house church Christians in China. Make your appeal for accurate reports to be used during the UN Universal Periodic Review on China by contacting your country’s UN representative (www.un.org/members/missions.shtml), sending e-mails to UN officials (see below) and circulating this report.
What you can do to help:

Read the 2008 Persecution Report.
Send a polite letter urging the UN to support Christians who are persecuted in China:
- Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: InfoDesk@ohcr.org
- Petitions Team for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: tb-petitions@ohchr.org
- Office of the Spokesman for the UN Secretary- General: inquiries@un.org
- UN Commission on Human Rights: 1503@ohchr.org

Christian Leader Trapped Inside Saudi Arabia

seniorSOY — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 02:22:37 +0000

The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has learned that Hagos Woldu [name changed for security reasons], an expatriate Christian leader in Saudi Arabia, fled from the city of Riyadh on January 28 following threats he received from radical Muslims.

On January 10, Woldu found a note on his van warning him to leave Saudi Arabia or face the consequences. “They [the Islamic extremists] were not happy when I told them that Mohammed is not a prophet,” said Woldu in an interview he gave to ICC.

“People who covered their faces started to follow me. They blocked my van on three different occasions,” said Woldu. The pressures forced him to quit his job on January 15.

Woldu has been living in Saudi Arabia for the past 24 years and this is not the first time that he has been persecuted for his faith in Jesus Christ. In 2005, he and four other expatriates were detained by the Mutaween (Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice), an arm of the government that enforces religious purity. At the time, Woldu and the other four Christians were imprisoned due to their activities in an underground church group in the country. They were released one month later following pressure by Western diplomats.

“I have not stopped telling the truth by preaching the gospel. I preach the gospel to Muslims,” said Woldu in explaining why the extremists still want to force him to leave Saudi Arabia.

Woldu is not currently working, and he is unable to leave Saudi Arabia because he has not yet been able to secure a visa to a third country. It is also unsafe for Woldu to return to his own country due to the severe persecution Christians are facing there.

He told ICC that his biggest worry at this time is the safety of his wife and eight children, who are currently living in Cairo, Egypt. His family moved from Saudi Arabia to Egypt in 2007, but the UNHCR failed to give them refugee status. As the bread winner for the family, he is concerned about their current well-being.

“I don’t care if I am slaughtered for the sake of the Gospel, but what I am concerned about is my wife and eight children. Please contact UNHCR and ask them to give my family refugee status,” said Woldu in expressing his worries about family.

In a message to Christians, Woldu said, “Please contact embassies in Saudi Arabia and ask them to help me get out of the country, and, as a first priority, please help my family.”

ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, Jonathan Racho, said, “We ask the officials of Saudi Arabia to protect the rights of Christians in the country to worship freely. It is hypocritical that Saudi Arabia promotes interfaith dialogue while failing to guarantee freedom of religion at home.”

Please pray for Woldu and his family at this difficult time in their lives.

ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church.