CSW response newsletter June

JULY-OCTOBER 2017

Response Your insight into religious freedom

FINALLY

FREE The beginning of May saw not one but two amazing answers to prayer.

On 9 May Chinese human rights lawyer Li Heping was released and returned to his family, who hadn’t seen him in nearly two years. Just two days later we got the news of the release of Rev Hassan and Mr Abdumawla, two Sudanese men held in a maximum security prison on unjust charges.

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www.csw.org.uk

/Cswuk

@csw_UK

News Update Continued from page 1 d Wang Qiaoling an Li Heping

“When my family fell down you didn’t walk away. You helped us stand up and I thank you for your help.”

Wang Qiaoling, Li’s wife, in a message to CSW supporterS

Photo: China Aid

Your prayers answered in China…

Li Heping was released just two days after CSW supporters joined in prayer for him when he was given a suspended sentence. Li was imprisoned two years ago as part of the Chinese government crackdown on human rights defenders. Over 300 human rights defenders, as well as their friends, family and colleagues, have been detained, harassed or even disappeared.

On The FRONTLINES

We’ve been campaigning for Li since his detention, and in October 2016, we presented a petition w ith 2,148 signatures to the Chinese Embassy in London, calling for his release. If you prayed for Li, signed the petition, or generously donated: thank you! We’re thrilled to share this wonderful news with you.

Although Li is now at home with his family, his wife Wang Qiaoling says that they’re being monitored closely by the authorities. As with many human rights defenders in China, there will likely be restrictions on his freedom of movement and freedom of speech and expression during his four-year suspended sentence. What’s more, many of Li’s colleagues are still in prison. It’s clear that human rights, including religious freedom, are under severe threat in China. You prayed for Li’s freedom: keep praying for his safety and that of his colleagues.

…and your prayers answered in Sudan!

The week Li was released, there was one more surprise to come: the release of Rev Hassan and Mr Abdumawla in Sudan. These men, along with two others, Rev Kuwa and Mr Jašek, were charged with national security crimes in August 2016, after

being arrested almost a year earlier.

In reality, their only crime had been raising money to treat a young man who’d been badly burned in a student protest.

Rev Kuwa was found innocent of all charges and released in January 2017.

Mr Jašek received a presidential pardon and was freed in February, and in May Mr Abdumawla and Rev Hassan were released after receiving a presidential pardon.

“I am now with my children and my family, they are happy, some are crying. They can’t believe it” Rev Hassan, the day he was set free after a year and a half in detention You may already be familiar with their names, of course, because thousands of supporters like you rallied behind these men magnificently. Over 700

Indonesia, tolerant no more Once KNOWN as a nation of tolerance, Indonesia has been growing more dangerous for religious minorities – something that Ahmadiyah Muslims know all too well.

“Sometimes [my wife] hears people saying, ‘If that mosque was not watched by the police, I would burn it.’” The Ahmadi spokesman told us of what his community has endured since their mosque, in the city of Depok, was forcibly closed, for the seventh time since 2011.

This was the last Ahmadi mosque in the district, leaving the 400 Muslims who used to gather there with nowhere to worship. The spokesman told us when we visited in 2014, “The local government…supports the closure of the mosque.” We visited again recently – and the problem has only got worse.

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Rev Hassan

Ahmadi Muslims are seen as heretics by the majority Sunni Muslim population. They face discrimination and harassment at every turn.

During our 2014 visit we spoke to an Ahmadi missionary: “I have witnessed many forms of discrimination. I was not allowed to bury my father – I tried many graveyards, but people rejected me. My hope is to become just an ordinary person, to live normally.”

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

Psalm 103:6 supporters tweeted senior EU officials about the case, and almost 5,000 emails were sent to Sudanese embassies around the world asking for the men to be released!

Again, we want to say a huge thank you: your prayer, financial support and determined campaigning made all the difference. God is good!

Li Heping, Rev Hassan and Mr Abdumawla have all been released into an uncertain situation.

Both China and Sudan are very restrictive for human rights, especially religious freedom; so while we praise God for releasing these men, please continue to uphold them in prayer: • Firstly, praise Almighty God who breaks down the prison walls!

• Ask God to watch over the men and their families as they readjust to life outside prison

Indonesia In May the governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (known as Ahok) was found guilty of blasphemy and sentenced to two years in prison. He was falsely accused of criticising a verse from the Qur’an. An ethnic Chinese and a Christian, Ahok is Indonesia’s most prominent ethnic minority politician: his sentencing is a worrying development that’s left Indonesia’s religious minorities with a deep sense of fear. Send Ahok an encouraging card! Find his address at www.csw.org.uk/ahok

China In the last issue we told you about Pastor Yang, who’s in prison after his church experienced government harassment. He’s had severe inflammation in his legs and is in the prison’s medical wing. Some church members are still meeting in small groups, but many have stopped out of fear of the authorities.

• Pray for protection for the many human rights defenders in China who, like Li Heping, face harassment, prison and even torture for defending others’ rights • Pray for comfort and encouragement for church leaders and human rights activists in Sudan, who continue their work despite intense government pressure.

Around the world

Mr Abdum awla

Indonesia used to be seen as an example of religious tolerance due to ‘Pancasila’, a national philosophy that enshrines interfaith harmony. But as these stories show, the reality today is very different.

In Xinjiang Province in April, 39 Uyghur Muslims were detained after attending lectures by unsanctioned imams. Thirty-five are now in jail, while four have been sent for ‘political re-education’. This takes place amid a wider crackdown on Uyghur Muslims: the Xinjiang authorities have banned names perceived to be linked to extremism, such as ‘Saddam’, as well as the wearing of ‘abnormal’ beards or veils in public. Pray that these restrictions would be relaxed, and the 39 Muslims in detention would be released.

Religious freedom for all We believe that everyone has a right to worship freely and without fear, no matter what religion they belong to. We’re committed to standing up for Ahmadiyah Muslims in Indonesia and everyone who faces harassment because of their faith – no matter what that faith may be!

You can pray for the Ahmadiyah using p.4 of our July-October Prayer Diary

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Country in focus:

There is a crisis in central Nigeria. Hundreds of Christians have been killed by Fulani militia. Men, women and children are being murdered, their land taken away and their homes destroyed.

NIGERIA

These are just a few of the stories from Nehemiah Camp, a church-run camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to which many people have fled.

But CSW-Nigeria is planning to give these refugees a future. Soon they’ll start holding skills training for widows in the camp, enabling them to start small businesses and provide for themselves.

LAITU

NEHEMIAH CAMP

Laitu has lost her husband and her home. Her village was attacked in February: she still remembers the flames rising from the remains of houses that were looted, then burned.

Crops and farmlands were also destroyed. Over 15 people were killed in the attack, including her husband, who was trying to protect the village.

Nehemiah Camp currently assists 461 households.

This includes 215 children under the age of five, 106 nursing mothers, 67 widows, and 150 teenagers, many of whom are the de facto heads of households: one orphan has become the ‘father’ of his family at age 17.

She must now raise her five children on her own: 16-year-old Amos, 13-year-old Goodness, ten-year-old Emmanuel, five-year-old Saviour, and Joshua (pictured), who is just six months.

FARA’A PIUS “We were preparing for Christmas, when at around 5pm we heard gunshots. They [the Fulani militia] had invaded and we were surrounded. Some managed to escape while others were killed. We lost 12 people that day.” Fara’a Pius’ farm was totally destroyed. She told us, “May our cry be heard by whomsoever you talk with.”

May our cry be heard by whomsoever you talk with

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NEHEMIAH CAMP Nehemiah Camp aims to provide basic relief for refugees including food: when they started, two communal meals a day were served. Now they struggle to provide even one.

You can write a letter to the governor of Kaduna State, one of the worst affected areas, asking him to defend the survivors and bring the perpetrators to justice. Stand with Nigeria at www.csw.org.uk/nigeria-action

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Perspectives

Feature

Eritrea

BRINGING THEIR STORIES TO LIGHT The experiences of prisoners in Eritrea

Three years ago, I found myself at the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), playing a game with an eight year old girl – I would say the name of an animal and she would draw it. She was an Eritrean refugee and had come to the HRC with her parents as part of a delegation who were there to give testimony.

Her entire family had been detained by the government, locked up with others in a shipping container. She shared memories of the entire place smelling awful, of being freezing cold at night and roasting hot during the day and of how she and her other siblings joked about which family member was covered with the most lice. A serious issue was turned into a game as their parents did their best to shield their children from the full force of the horrors they were experiencing.

In Eritrea prisoners are confined in appalling conditions. In fact, thousands of prisoners of conscience are detained indefinitely in facilities where conditions are life threatening and torture is rife.

On 17 March 2017, two Pentecostal Christians reportedly died in hospital after undergoing a hunger strike to protest the abuse they suffered while detained at Wi’a military camp.

The only means of resistance they had left was their own bodies. Their tragic story is emblematic of many others whose suffering and deaths generally fail to register internationally, due to the closed nature and pervasive control of the ruling regime.

The Eritrean government is one of the most repressive in the world. A campaign of arrests targeting selected religious communities has been An Eritrean ongoing since 2002, child’s drawing when the government effectively outlawed all practices not affiliated with the Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran or Orthodox Christian denominations and Sunni Islam.

Prayer meeting raided In one incident, six men and four women were reportedly rounded up following a raid on a prayer meeting; during the same period, an unspecified number of Christians were picked up from their homes in a round-up that is reported to still be ongoing.

In August 2016 eight Christians, including a mother and her three-year-old child, were detained after gathering in a park. Another report highlights the arrests of 79 men, women and children, including a mother and baby, who were rounded up during a wedding in May 2016.

Join us in prayer. Let the world know you have not forgotten Eritrea.

Claire Denman Public Affairs Officer 6

HISTORY IN THE MAKING At the end of April, CSW finally received official UN accreditation after eight years of campaigning. Sini Maria Heikkila, who manages our UN work, explains how we achieved this historic result…

What does UN accreditation actually mean?

Gaining accreditation, or ECOSOC Consultative Status, means that we can now work at the UN even more effectively – this new status brings additional weight to our advocacy. For example, it allows us to hold our own ‘side events’ – events held alongside formal UN sessions that aren’t part of official proceedings, but allow organisations like CSW to meet UN delegates and present information directly to them.

Side events are a vital part of our work. And now that we can put on our own side events, we’ll be able to hold more of them – making us even more effective. We’ll also be working with organisations that haven’t received Consultative Status, helping them with side events. See the box for what we’ve achieved so far – imagine how much more we’ll be able to do now!

And what did you have to do to get this special status?

It’s been nearly a decade of pushing towards a goal that often seemed very far off. It took eight

years, more than 80 answered questions, 28 votes in favour, 30 signatories to a letter of support, countless hours of lobbying, and ten years of persistent prayer from staff and supporters!

How did it feel when the vote went in our favour?

We were watching the vote live in our office, and I was just so humbled. So many countries made statements supporting us – including the UK mission and EU delegation, and it was amazing to see high-profile UN representatives and diplomats speaking up to support CSW. I also felt incredibly supported when I was at the UN in New York earlier this year, meeting different countries’ representatives and asking them to back us. So many people helped me, and I really felt God’s favour throughout our advocacy. I know many CSW supporters were praying for me – so let me say thank you, because I certainly felt the results!

Hear more from Sini Maria in her short video about this incredible answer to prayer! www.csw.org.uk/2017unitednations

‘CSW does vital work. It…advocates for the rights of all peoples to practise their faith, whatever that faith may be, and also the rights of people who profess no religion.’

Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations

Highlights Our UN work has contributed to these…

Official inquiries into human rights in North Korea and Eritrea Appointing an expert to investigate human rights in Eritrea Several statements each year at the Human Rights Council – including 11 in 2016 alone!

Sini Maria

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Bring

CSWto

your church!

The summer’s in full swing and CSW has already been all over the country at Big Church Day Out: in Cheshire for the North event, and West Sussex for the South event! We had so much fun meeting new people and catching up with supporters too.

We love coming to visit you too – if you didn’t catch us at Big Church Day Out, you can still get the CSW experience by booking a speaker for your church or small group!

Our speakers are experts on religious freedom and have loads of stories to tell about our work: from

personal anecdotes about the people we work with, to all the detail on the biggest cases of the year. Hearing a CSW speaker is guaranteed to be inspiring, encouraging and challenging – and we’ll come to wherever you are. What are you waiting for?

To book a speaker, contact our admin team on speakers@csw.org.uk or call 0845 456 5464 Christian Solidarity Worldwide is an organisation working for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, in the pursuit of justice.

PO Box 99, New Malden, Surrey, KT3 3YF, United Kingdom T: +44 (0)20 8329 0010 F: +44 (0)20 8942 8821 E: admin@csw.org.uk www.csw.org.uk @csw_uk /cswuk Registered Charity No. 281836

Bring

CSWto

your living room!

The summer’s in full swing and CSW has already been all over the country at Big Church Day Out: in Cheshire for the North event and West Sussex for the South event!

We had so much fun meeting new people and catching up with supporters, too. We love coming to visit you too – if you didn’t catch us at Big Church Day Out, you can still get the CSW experience by inviting CSW into your home as part of our Home Tour!

Our Home Tours are a perfect way to talk about human rights and religious freedom in a friendly, informal setting. As well as all the information you’ll need, we also offer resources such as a coffee and tea tasting event guide to get your guests talking about some of the countries where we work. It’s sure to be an inspiring, challenging, and uplifting experience: be a part of our Home Tour today!

To be part of CSW’s Home Tour, contact Ruth on 07880 668 068 or email ruthdonaldson@csw.org.uk Christian Solidarity Worldwide is an organisation working for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, in the pursuit of justice.

PO Box 99, New Malden, Surrey, KT3 3YF, United Kingdom T: +44 (0)20 8329 0010 F: +44 (0)20 8942 8821 E: admin@csw.org.uk www.csw.org.uk @csw_uk /cswuk Registered Charity No. 281836