Response: July - October 2019

40 years of standing against injustice

July-October 2019

“At any moment they could take me prisoner” Cuba’s Christian ‘counter-revolutionaries’

Also inside this edition: Country in focus: Lessons from Iran Feature: Making a difference in Mexico On the frontlines: Nehemiah’s story and more...

Feature: Cuba

“At any moment they could take me prisoner”

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In response, Rev Hernandez told CSW, ‘I have total confidence that, even in Cuba, God reigns.

Pray for me and my family. My wife and I have spoken and prayed because at any moment they could take me prisoner.’

Yannes Kiefer/Unsplash

Cuba’s Christian ‘counter-revolutionaries’

In mid-February, Reverend Carlos Sebastián Hernandez was labelled a counter-revolutionary.

His crime? Publicly opposing Cuba’s draft constitution, which reduces religious freedom protections.

All images by CSW unless otherwise stated.

Reverend Hernandez

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Feature: Cuba On 24 February, the Cuban people voted in favour of a new constitution that significantly weakened protections for freedom of religion or belief and freedom of conscience.

In an attempt to participate in a public consultation on the draft, a cross-denominational group of church leaders representing the largest Protestant denominations submitted a draft proposal to the National Assembly in the months before the referendum, with improved language on freedom of religion and conscience. The Cuban Catholic Bishops’ Conference also raised similar concerns.

The church leaders who publicly opposed the draft constitution have come under severe pressure, including being banned from receiving foreign visitors.

The government ignored them all, and the draft constitution retained the problematic language. Article 15 of the new constitution now reads: ‘The Cuban State is secular [laico]. In the Republic of Cuba the religious institutions and fraternal associations are separate from the State and all have the same rights and responsibilities. The different beliefs and religions enjoy equal treatment.’

The failure to define ‘rights and responsibilities’ opens the door to abuse by the authorities.

An unprecedented campaign The potential threat posed by Article 15 did not go unnoticed by the churches on the island – in an unprecedented show of unity, denominations banded together in a campaign to oppose the draft constitution, despite the harassment and intimidation that this stance brought them.

Since the referendum, the church leaders who publicly opposed 4

the draft constitution have come under severe pressure, including being banned from receiving foreign visitors. A number of pastors associated with the Apostolic Movement, including Pastors Alain Toledano and Marcos Perdomo, have been cited and interrogated by police. In Granma, a pastor with the Nazarene Church reported that he received notice that the property where his church has been located for 20 years is being confiscated.

to dealing with such widespread and organised opposition from religious groups – this has led to a belief among church leaders that a crackdown may be imminent, but also hope that the resistance is gaining in strength and becoming more effective.

New hope in resistance The cross-denominational campaign against the new constitution brought together Christians across the island in a way that has not been seen since the 1959 Revolution, and led to the launch of a new independent Cuban Evangelical Alliance, representing the largest Protestant denominations on the island. This is an important shift, not only in the wider perception of the church on the island, but also in the role religious groups play in civil society in Cuba. The severity of the reprisals against church leaders who spoke out against the referendum shows that the government sees this new unity and activism as a threat. The government is not used

Encourage

Write to Cuban church leaders using our free resource, Connect and Encourage. Call us on 020 8329 0010 to order a copy, or you can download it at csw.org.uk/connectencourage.

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Country in focus: Iran Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani was first arrested in 2009, after going to his children’s school to question the Muslim monopoly on children’s religious education. Charged with apostasy and sentenced to death the following year, he was acquitted in 2012. Subsequent arrests and prison sentences followed: later in 2012, in 2016, and after a violent raid on his home in 2018.

These arrests show that for Pastor Nadarkhani, as for many others in Iran and the Middle East as whole, religion is a key factor not only in politics but also in the everyday lives of individuals, impacting their rights, opportunities and social status. Indeed, many of the current conflicts in the region have deep historical roots – most notably the ongoing ArabIsraeli conflict and the division between the Sunni and Shi’a branches of Islam.

Pastor Nadarkhani A church in Iran. Photo: Article 18

What Iran teaches us about religious identity and conflict in the Middle East 6

Iran’s political elites frequently exploit religion to keep the religious factions to which they adhere in power, and to maximise their control of wealth and political influence. Religious texts and narratives of historical victimhood and grievances, and even conspiracy theories, are used to further this end.

For example, Iranian nationalists resent the Arab conquest of Iran in the 7th century, and hold the Arabs responsible for the collapse of the Sassanid Empire and the destruction of the Persian civilisation. Under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who ruled

from 1941 to 1979, a Farsi national identity was emphasised.

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, ethnic and religious minorities have been targeted by successive governments. They are viewed with suspicion and treated as a threat to a theocratic regime that promotes a strict interpretation of Shi’a Islam. The Twelver Jaafari School of Islam is the official religion, and the constitutional theocracy systematically discriminates against its citizens on the basis of religion and ethnicity. National security charges are often levelled at Christians.

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Country in focus: Iran

Around the world:

Latest news

Nationalism incompatible with Islam?

Most Islamic scholars view the idea of nationalism as contradictory to the concept of Umma, a term referring to a united Islamic nation in which all Muslims are equal regardless of their ethnic origins.

The leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, described nationalism as ‘the source of miseries of the Muslims’, saying that it is ‘propagated by the agents of imperialism, and it places the Iranian nation up against other Muslim nations.

The plan of the great powers and their affiliates in the Muslim countries is to separate and divide the various strata of Muslims, whom God has declared brothers, under the guise of Kurd, Arab, Turk, and Persian nations, and even make them regard themselves as enemies of one another. This is against the path of Islam and the Qur’an.’

In a region where dictatorship, sectarianism and sectarian politics are often the main contributors to conflict and violence, plans to democratise and empower human rights frameworks in the Middle East will take time, but are the only lasting way forward for this troubled region.

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Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, a Christian convert jailed for ten years for ‘acting against national security through the establishment of “house churches”’. Photo: Article 18

After the Arab Spring, a need for reforms Following the Arab Spring, the debate on whether or not Islam is compatible with human rights forced many governments in the region to introduce important reforms, particularly in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

However, there remains an urgent need for radical reforms, especially in the fields of freedom of religion or belief and women’s rights. Iran in particular has shown a pattern of ongoing marginalisation and criminalisation of religious minorities.

In a region where dictatorship, sectarianism and sectarian politics are often the main contributors to conflict and violence, plans to democratise and empower human rights frameworks in the Middle East will take time, but are the only lasting way forward for this troubled region.

Iranians during the 1979 Revolution. Photo: Article 18

Latest news updates

A view of the damage at St. Sebastian Catholic Church in Negombo.

Photo: Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters

Sri Lanka Multiple bomb attacks hit churches and hotels around the country on Easter Sunday. The death toll stands at over 250, according to figures from Sri Lanka’s Health Ministry, and the Defence Minister has confirmed that the attacks were carried out by Islamic State through the local terror group, National Thowheed Jamath. Following the bombings, retaliatory violence has resulted in the destruction of mosques and Muslim-owned businesses. A 45-year-old Muslim man lost his life when his carpentry shop was attacked, and a nationwide state of emergency has been prolonged following further civil unrest.

Vietnam

Nigeria

The UN Human Rights Committee has urged Vietnam to prevent violence, discrimination and all acts of ‘undue interference with the freedom of religion’. The Human Rights Committee’s review also highlighted the restrictive nature of the 2016 Law on Belief and Religion, and said it was disturbed by reports of hate speech and incitement to religious discrimination. CSW’s report ahead of the review raised similar concerns, and criticised the use of torture against those who defend freedom of religion or belief.

On 14 March, Leah Sharibu’s 16th birthday, CSW staff and supporters - including David Linden, MP for Glasgow East - gathered outside the Nigerian High Commission in London once more, to request once again that the Nigerian government takes action to secure her release. Leah was abducted by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in February 2018, and held captive for refusing to convert. Her case has made international news, but as we go to print she remains in captivity.

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Feature: Mexico On 30 April, Children’s Day in Mexico, we made a noise that the Mexican authorities couldn’t ignore. We brought Alma to the capital to tell her story to government officials and foreign embassies. She was even able to take part in a special Children’s Day breakfast hosted by the president!

Meanwhile, youth groups and churches around the world held ‘solidarity parties’, writing letters to their local Mexican embassies to press for action on this issue.

Faith and a Future

How your campaigning and our advocacy are making a difference for Mexico’s school children ‘They discriminated against us, they swore at us, but I never thought they were going to destroy our houses.’ In December 2017 Alma’s family was thrown out of their village in Jalisco State, along with around 60 others, because they are a religious minority.

They were forced to move to a town many miles away, living with several other families in a disused church hall. Alma always wanted to be a nurse, but she was unable to enrol at the school in her new neighbourhood. Local authorities aren’t sympathetic to the discrimination Alma has suffered, which means that she may never be able to complete her education and fulfil her dream.

What happened to Alma is just one of countless stories of children in Mexico whose education has been interrupted because of their faith. That’s why we decided to take action, so that every child can have faith and a future.

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Alma had to travel for two days to get to Mexico City, and the courage she displayed throughout the whole experience was truly inspiring. During a very emotional meeting, Tania Ramírez Hernández, of the National Council to Prevent Discrimination told Alma: ‘We owe you an apology, this country owes you an apology... We have certainly failed in the process but we are here to protect you, so that your trajectory in life is what you want it to be.’

This is a very encouraging response.

Thank you to all of you who wrote letters to the Mexican embassy and prayed!

We owe you an “apology, this country

owes you an apology...

We have certainly failed in the process but we are here to protect you, so that your trajectory in life is what you want it to be.

”

Children like Alma all over Mexico are being denied their right to an education, simply because of their faith - in one example, around 40 children from one community in the state of Hidalgo have been blocked from attending school since last August. State government officials often attempt to cover up the scale of the problem, and even in Mexico, many people have no idea that this is happening. This shows just how much our Faith and a Future campaign is needed.

Your campaigning and prayer combined with our advocacy gets extraordinary results that can change the lives of children like Alma, giving them the chance to have both faith and a future. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done so far - let’s keep up the pressure on the Mexican authorities.

Take action Go to

csw.org.uk/campaigns to take action for Mexico’s schoolchildren.

Alma, whose education was interrupted because of her faith.

The team with Alma (front left) in Mexico City.

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Feature: CSW and the UN

The privilege of sharing first-hand testimonies with UN policy makers Working with the United Nations is a fundamental part of CSW’s advocacy. The main forum we engage with is the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, and in March we participated in the Council’s 40th session. We spoke with Claire Denman, CSW’s UN Officer, to find out how the session went.

There are so many issues that we want to share with UN policy makers, so I’m used to having a very packed schedule at the HRC – but this time it was even busier than usual. Over the course of the Council session we spoke at nine different dialogues and debates, submitted two written statements, held formal meetings with country representatives from nine different countries, and met informally with representatives from many other countries as well.

Encouraging endorsements Thanks to the Special Consultative Status which CSW was granted in April 2017, and which so many of you faithfully prayed for, we are now able to host seminars and panel discussions of our own timing and choosing at the UN, as well as 12

Ms Ji (far left) at the UN side event. Photo: Permanent Mission of the Republic of Poland to the UN

Claire Denman

participate in those organised by other NGOs. So in March we hosted a side event on North Korea in partnership with the Database Centre for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB). The event was subsequently supported by Human Rights Watch and endorsed by the permanent missions of two UN Member States, Poland and the Netherlands. (Permanent missions to the UN are essentially country embassies comprised of representatives who are based at the UN and act on behalf of their respective countries.) It was hugely encouraging to receive endorsements from these countries for the first time and to have the Ambassador of Poland and Deputy Ambassador of the Netherlands speak at the event.

But the real highlight was hearing the testimony of Heyeona Ji, a North Korean Christian currently living in

South Korea. Ms Ji shared her moving experiences of life as a Christian in North Korea, and called on UN representatives to take concrete action to address human rights abuses in her homeland. While no written summary could possibly do justice to her powerful address, I will share a few of her experiences.

Forced to deny Christ three times Ms Ji has been living in South Korea since 2007, after escaping from North Korea for the fourth time. Between 1998 and 2007 she fled the country three times, but was repatriated three times. During this time she endured unimaginable suffering, including torture, human trafficking and forced abortion.

Ms Ji spoke of the sorrow and shame she felt following each of her interrogations. Every time she was repatriated, she would be made to answer a series of questions about her involvement with the Christian faith.

She knew that if she offered even the slightest indication that she believed in Christ, she would be sent to a political prison camp or, worse still, executed.

Like the Apostle Peter, she found herself denying Christ three times, and felt the same emptiness, regret and pain that he must have experienced.

It is such a privilege for me not only to hear deeply moving testimonies like that of Ms Ji, but also to be able to share them on a global platform, with policy makers who have the power to influence real change around the world. We’re continuing to press for the UN to take strong action on North Korea, to improve conditions for the countless ordinary citizens like Ms Ji who suffer repeated horrific abuses of their human rights.

Pray

that the UN representatives who heard Ms Ji’s testimony would be moved by what they heard, and would prioritise addressing religious freedom violations in North Korea.

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On the frontlines: India What would help you and other human rights defenders in India to be even more effective in your work?

Doggedly defending despite the dangers Nehemiah Christie is a human rights defender working in South India. He shares with us his thoughts on the current climate in India, and his experience of defending the rights of religious minorities in his country.

What does the situation currently look like in India?

My experience of working as a human rights and religious freedom defender in South India has considerably worsened since Modi’s government came into power [in 2014]. The current government relies heavily on the backing of Hindu fundamentalists, which has led to an increase in the threat to religious minorities, particularly to Christians. In Tamil Nadu, where I work, human rights defenders have faced extreme hostility. Some have been shot, raped and threatened by both government and non-government actors. [Note: Modi’s government won the May 2019 elections with a landslide victory.]

Why do you work to defend the rights of people of all faiths?

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Is this not their human right? To practise their faith? Those who support Hindu supremacy in India argue that human rights defenders work against

the country’s interests, but this simply isn’t true. I’m proud that my country has such a great constitution, which protects fundamental freedoms. India was among the first countries to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

This is why I find it so sad that, as human rights defenders, we now face the threat of violence on a daily basis. I hear noises outside my house at night, and banging on my windows. It’s tragic that in India – a country of such diverse cultures, languages, religions and beliefs – these things now happen every day to those of us who are trying to uphold the basic human right to practise one’s religion or belief of choice.

What threats do human rights defenders in India face?

The government uses the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) to target human rights defenders. The law deals with people who are considered to be working against the state, and some human rights defenders have been accused of being members of

Michel Forst, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, at our regional consultation for HRDs in South Asia.

terrorist organisations. A person can be detained without bail for six months under this law, which can be extended.

We constantly live in fear that another one of us could be the next person charged under this legislation.

I’m also constantly harassed and monitored by the authorities. I give a speech somewhere or go to speak with victims of human rights abuses and before I even get home, I’m called by the authorities asking how the trip went - a constant reminder that my every move is being watched.

For us, the support of the international community is really important. And training for human rights defenders, like the Defend the Defender project organised by CSW, is absolutely vital to our safety and our work. We also need to ensure digital security, especially on social media, where individuals can harass human rights defenders without fearing the repercussions.

Find out more about

CSW’s Defend the Defender project, and how you can support Nehemiah and other human rights defenders in South and Central Asia at defendthedefender.com

I’m proud that my “country has such a great

constitution, which protects fundamental freedoms.

Nehemiah Christie Human rights defender

”

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Get involved:

40 for 40

From healing bullet wounds to healing a nation

by Mervyn Thomas CMG, Founder and Chief Executive I’ll never forget the response when I asked the villagers what one thing they wanted: ‘Peace’ came the immediate reply. The people of Asso, Nigeria, know that ultimately, what they need goes far deeper than food or medicine. Join us today to help create real change for communities in need.

Jude, who was attacked by militia from the Fulani tribe

Now Jude’s wound was turning gangrenous, meaning he couldn’t move without a lot of pain. Unable to go to school, and facing losing his leg, Jude’s future was bleak. CSW Nigeria made sure that Jude received treatment, and doctors were able to save his leg. When I returned to Nigeria earlier this year, Jude’s smiling face was a powerful picture to me of the kind of transformation we want to see for all Nigerians.

Healing nations Of course we can’t go on only healing physical wounds. Thousands are dying in militia attacks. We have to tackle this crisis at the root.

Our reporting and lobbying is finally beginning to bear fruit. But we must keep going to ensure complete success - the lives of too many men, women and children are at stake.

Of course we can’t go on only healing physical wounds.

Thousands are dying in militia attacks. We have to tackle this crisis at the root.

We need to raise up a new group of committed regular givers to help us as we work towards achieving peace and safety for millions more like Jude, and to keep working to find lasting solutions in other countries around the world.

Get involved

If you believe in our work, please see the accompanying letter to find out how you can join 2,000 regular givers committed to lasting change.

You can also go to csw.org.uk/give

Jude, a handsome young man of 14, pointed to the bullet wound in his leg. Months earlier he had been farming close to his village when he was attacked by militia from the Fulani tribe. He survived by playing dead and, thankfully, the militia men didn’t check his body as they walked past.

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Survivors of attacks by militia from the Fulani tribe

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Perspectives: Bittersweet stories

When the news is bittersweet Last year, we shared the news that Asia Bibi had been released from prison in Pakistan after nine years on death row – an amazing answer to prayer – but that violent protests had subsequently swept the country. The issues and cases we work on are rarely straightforward, and our teams are used to navigating the complexities they present.

We talked to two members of our advocacy team, Jane and Sarah,* to find out how they deal with bittersweet news.

Why can’t good news ever just be simple?

Jane: I think we all want things to be simple and have a successful outcome!

We love stories with straightforward, happy endings. But the truth is we work with real people with real lives, and the ‘ending’ to their story can sometimes be far from straightforward. We have to honour the whole of their experience, of which CSW’s work in their lives may only be a small part.

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very passionate about human rights in Vietnam, especially freedom of religion, and he wants to see improvements there and carry on his work.

Sarah: We thank God that they’re safe and free to an extent, but if, as in the case of Nguyen Van Dai, they’re feeling like this isn’t the end of the story and this isn’t good news in its entirety, then we have a responsibility to reflect their experience.

So how do we do that?

What challenges might someone face after prison?

Jane: In terms of our work it’s important to reflect the entire situation, with a focus on the perspectives of the people involved. With Vietnamese human rights lawyer Nguyen Van Dai for example, when we met him after he’d been released into exile in Germany it was obvious that he didn’t want freedom from prison to be the end of his story. He’s

Jane: Sometimes, people are released from prison only to go into forced exile as a condition of their release, or they have to leave their country for their own safety.

This can be quite difficult for people who’ve spent their entire lives defending human rights to suddenly be in another country without the resources that they used to rely on, where they don’t speak

*Names changed for security reasons.

the language, and consequently can’t be as active doing the same kind of work they used to do.

Even if they’re able to stay in their home country, it’s going to be difficult for them to rebuild their lives. It can be almost impossible to find a new job or home with fewer resources than they previously had, or with a criminal record that was simply the result of the state’s reprisal for their activism. Sometimes lingering effects of their ordeal such as post-traumatic stress can cause them to be rejected by their families.

How do you deal with not being able to help all the way through a situation?

Sarah: As a Christian organisation we bring a heavenly perspective to our work.

We do the practical advocacy work we need to do, but we can also commit the entire situation to God and say, ‘Heavenly Father, be with us as we use our skills to help this person and be what they need at this point in time. Bring them through this experience and end the injustice, for them and for others like them who face similar discrimination, hostility and persecution.’

Ultimately our job is to advocate, pray and campaign on behalf of those who face injustice because of their religion or belief, and we are constantly guided by this mandate. When someone is released from prison, for example, it’s the end of that crisis but they still have the rest of their lives ahead of them.

How do we support people in the next chapter of their life?

Sarah: CSW often partners with other organisations that can provide the practical help people need while we advocate on their behalf. There’s an element of collaboration the whole way through, which is a huge privilege as we get a Kingdom view of other organisations coming together, each playing their unique role to help an individual or group of individuals. We can’t always talk about it publicly, however, due to security concerns.

Once they’re situated safely and are being provided with the care and welfare they need, we keep praying for them as they start the next chapter of their lives.

Jane: Sometimes our prayer is the only encouragement they have. I remember one case of a pastor who was released but was under house arrest and CSW encouraged people to write to him. He told us, ‘At the time, I was completely isolated because I had this stigma of having been a prisoner, but these letters really kept me going because they showed me that even though people around me didn’t understand what I was doing, other people from across the world were encouraging me and writing to me.’

Even though his circumstances were in some senses better, his story was unfinished and he still needed our prayer and encouragement. Whatever the situation, I think that’s the most important thing to remember.

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Our manifesto #5

We believe everyone deserves to have their story heard.

CSW is a human rights organisation advocating for freedom of religion or belief. As Christians we stand with everyone facing injustice because of their religion or belief.

T +44 (0)20 8329 0010 @CSW_UK /CSWUK csw.org.uk Registered Charity No. 281836

PO Box 99 New Malden Surrey, KT3 3YF United Kingdom