Sudan: Pastors on trial
Two South Sudanese pastors, Michael Yat and Peter Yen Reith, are on trial in Khartoum. They were detained by Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Service in December 2014 and January 2015 respectively and were charged with a range of criminal offences, including crimes against the State which are punishable by death, a life sentence or lesser detention and confiscation of property. A court hearing began on 19 May, but the prosecutor did not finish and will continue to present his evidence on 31 May. After this the defence lawyer will have an opportunity to present his case. He believes there is no real evidence against the two pastors for any of the charges. He also believes that the sole reason for the court case is the two pastors' exercise of their Christian faith. Christians in Sudan ask us to pray for God to protect the pastors and their families.
Iraq: Calls for volunteers to fight as more residents flee from their homes
Iraq's government has called for volunteers to fight against Islamic State and help retake the city of Ramadi. A voluntary recruitment drive was necessary to fill shortages in squads. Thousands have fled from Ramadi since its capture by IS on Sunday. Officials inside the city reported, ‘burned bodies can be seen littering the streets’. More than 250 civilians and security forces have been killed in the past two days. A security analyst affirmed that a grim fate awaits the residents of Ramadi who are now in IS's grasp. ‘Anybody who supported the government will probably be executed. It will be a bloodbath in coming days.’ IS claim that ancient Christian religious relics and other faith groups promote idolatry that violates their interpretation of Islamic law. They have been destroying churches and minorities for some time in a systematic campaign to rid the region of any vestiges of other faiths. The jihadists are committing 'genocide'. See also
Danger from IS terrorists posing as refugees
Islamic State (IS) terrorists are being smuggled into Europe by posing as refugees trying to cross the Mediterranean. Intelligence analysts fear that would-be jihadists are exploiting the growing crisis of desperate migrants fleeing war-torn North African countries by joining them on risky boat crossings. Once ashore in countries such as Italy and Greece, there are fears that militants could evade detection by the authorities – and try to plot violent attacks. It is reported that IS commanders are also profiting from the trade in refugees making the perilous voyage by demanding half of the money taken by the traffickers. Meanwhile, British Special Forces divers are poised to launch a series of daring operations along the Libyan coastline to destroy the ships used by traffickers. The claims that IS terrorists are posing as refugees were made by a Libyan security adviser, Abdul Basit Haroun, who used to live in Britain.
Russia: Increased fines for ‘extremist’ texts
Russian people and religious organisations charged with distributing banned ‘extremist’ texts face sharply increased fines after changes to the law this month. Confiscations of religious texts from all religions, mostly during raids or detentions, frequently result in prosecutions of people. Convictions have led to liquidation, or threats of liquidation of ministries. The possession of allegedly ‘extremist’ texts is not the only obstacle to exercising freedom of religion or belief. Communities face barriers to holding public events. Baptist pastor Pavel Pilipchuk was imprisoned for five days in mid-April for refusing to pay a fine for allegedly organising an open-air meeting for worship without informing the city administration beforehand. The increases are part of a number of legal changes proposed by the Communications Ministry in December 2014, which introduce specific charges for media outlets accused of inciting "extremism’ and harsher existing punishments for related offences. There have been 19 prosecutions so far in 2015.
