International Religious Freedom News (July 2-9)Jul 12, 2007 International Religious Freedom Archive
If you would like to sign up to have these weekly newsletters delivered straight to your e-mail inbox, click here. 1. Egypt’s High Court Accepts Appeal of Copts (Jul. 2)
2. Uzbekistan Detains Three Found in Possession of Religious Literature (Jul. 4)
3. Two Conscientious Objectors Imprisoned in Turkmenistan (Jul. 4)
4. Belarus Detains Petitioners Hoping to Change Religion Law (Jul. 5)
5. Malaysia: Hindu Woman Released from Religious Detention Center (Jul. 6)
6. Officials Arrest Pastors in Central and Eastern China (Jul. 9) Features:
A brief look at the state of religious freedom across the Middle East and Asia, from Asia News
The text of Pakistan’s apostasy bill, courtesy of ThePersecution.org 1. Egypt’s High Court Accepts Coptic Appeal
July 2
Cairo, Egypt
The Associated Press reports that Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court has accepted the appeal of a group of forty-five Coptic Christians over the matter of their religious designations on their identity cards. The members of the group, who had converted to Islam but later decided to return to Christianity, were initially denied permission to change their religious affiliation after they had converted. The initial ruling, which was handed down in April, followed the principles of Shari'a law, which forbids conversion away from Islam. Lawyers for the government planned to challenge the Coptic appeal, though human rights activists are hopeful that the Supreme Administrative Court will uphold “principles of religious freedom and non-discrimination.” 2. Uzbekistan Detains Three Found in Possession of Religious Literature
July 4
Jizzakh Region, Uzbekistan
Forum 18 reports that two Pentecostals, Hudoer Pardaev and Igor Kim, were detained and sent to prison for ten days after police confiscated religious literature they were carrying and accused them of “violating the laws on religious organizations” and “violating the procedure for teaching religion”. Both belong to God’s Love Church, which is an unregistered Pentecostal congregation. Meanwhile, Baptist Sharofat Allamova, also detained for carrying religious literature, now faces criminal prosecution for “violating the laws on religious organizations” and a possible sentence of three years’ imprisonment if convicted. 3. Two Conscientious Objectors Imprisoned in Turkmenistan
July 4
Turkmenistan
Forum 18 reports that two Jehovah’s Witnesses, Nuryagdy Gayyrov and Baryam Ashirgeldyyev, were arrested for refusing to perform military service, which is compulsory in Turkmenistan. Both men refused on the grounds that their religion forbids them from participating; however, Turkmenistan offers no alternative service for those who do not wish to join the military. Gayyrov and Ashirgeldyyev have been charged with evasion and are currently awaiting trial; they have been jailed during the pre-trial detention in Turkmenistan’s capital of Ashgabad. There are currently a total of five known persons imprisoned in Turkmenistan for religious activity, some on charges which the government has never made public. 4. Belarus Detains Petitioners Hoping to Change Religion Law
July 5
Belarus
Forum 18 reports that police have detained nineteen people who took part in a petition to change Belarus’ 2002 Religion Law. Police also confiscated human rights literature, including a booklet entitled “Monitoring Violations of the Rights of Christians in Belarus in 2006” and detained participants as young as fourteen and sixteen years old who were found in possession of materials on freedom of thought, conscience and belief. The Constitutional Court of Belarus requires at least 50,000 signatures on a petition before it will consider changes to a law; so far, the petition to modify the Religion Law has garnered 25,000. 5. Malaysia: Hindu Woman Released from Religious Detention Center
July 6
Shahalam, Malaysia
Reuters reports that Massosai Revathi, who recently served a six-month detention for her decision to renounce Islam, alleged that she was maltreated and threatened while in the custody of Malaysia’s Islamic religious police, saying she was placed in solitary confinement and suffered mental torture. Revathi was born into a family that converted to Islam from Hinduism before she was born, though she claims she was raised as a Hindu by her grandmother. Three years ago she married a Hindu man, with whom she has an 18-month old daughter. She now fears that authorities will remove her daughter from her care if she continues to insist that she is Hindu. 6. Officials Arrest Pastors in Central and Eastern China
July 9
Shandong Province, China
China Aid reports that police in Shandong Province (Eastern China) have condemned two evangelical house church leaders, Zhang Geming and Sun Qingwen, to a year of “re-education through labour”. Both were detained July 1 along with four other pastors, and accused of “using an evil cult to obstruct the law”. The rest of the group was released after paying a 1,000 euro fine. In Shanxi Province (Central China) police also arrested twelve Christian leaders under the same pretext after the group was discovered distributing Bibles in Jiaocheng county.
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