Sharia (Islamic law) is the foundation of Sudan’s legal system, and leaving Islam is punishable by death; Christians who talk about their faith can be accused of an “act that encourages apostasy”. Christianity is seen as Western, making it a political target. Several Christians have been imprisoned in recent years, charged with “spying”. Sudan’s President, Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes including “genocide”, is believed to want to “rid” Sudan of Christianity. In 2016 the government announced plans to destroy 27 churches, claiming they were in violation of the designated purposes of the land they were built on.
Sudan: Christian women fined for ‘indecency’
Three Christian women were found guilty of indecency yesterday at Sudan’s Public Order Court following their arrest in June for wearing trousers and skirts, reports CSW. Nasra Omer Kakoum, Wegdan Aba Alla Salih and Uthan Omer Eljaily were fined 500 Sudanese pounds for indecent or immoral dress under Article 152 […]
S. Sudan pastors await new appeal outcome
The lawyer responsible for defending the two South Sudanese pastors who were freed last week after months in detention in Khartoum has downplayed the decision by airport authorities to prevent them from leaving the country. “It will take some few days for the pastors to leave the country, but we […]
Freed S. Sudan pastors held at Khartoum airport
Pastors Yat Michael and Peter Yen have been stopped (but not re-arrested) at Khartoum airport after trying to leave the country following their release after Wednesday’s (5 Aug.) court hearing in the Sudanese capital. CSW reports that the appeal for the flight ban will be heard on 9 Aug. The two tried to leave […]
S Sudan pastors will face trial, judge rules
A Sudanese judge has decided enough evidence exists to require two South Sudanese Presbyterian pastors to face trial on espionage and other charges that could carry the death penalty, according to a US-based religious-freedom group. The American Center for Law & Justice reported late Thursday that the judge made the […]
Date set for judge to question S Sudan pastors
The prosecution in the trial of South Sudanese pastors Yat Michael and Peter Yen closed its case on 25 June after presenting its final witness, an officer of the National Intelligence and Security Service, but no new evidence. The two men will next appear in court on 2 July, when […]
Sudan’s treatment of minorities ‘woeful’
In highlighting the case of two South Sudanese pastors on trial in neighbouring Sudan to the north, Yat Michael and Peter Yen, the BBC’s former correspondent there, James Copnall, throws light on Sudan’s treatment of its minorities (3%). He takes a close look at the reasons behind historical conflict before […]
No new evidence in South Sudanese pastors’ trial
Prosecutors could not present any new evidence at the Khartoum trial of South Sudanese pastors Yat Michael, 49, and Peter Yen, 37, which resumed on 15 June. At the latest hearing on Monday, officials from Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services repeated statements made earlier in the trial, according to […]
S. Sudan pastors face death penalty on charges of sedition and spying
After several false starts, the trial of two South Sudanese pastors, Yat Michael, 49, and Peter Yen, 37, who stand accused of crimes against the state of Sudan and could face the death penalty, has been rescheduled again to 15 June. The court is then due to hear testimony from […]
UPDATE: Trial of S. Sudan pastors begins, then is delayed
UPDATE (19 May) After the 19 May start of the trial of Yat Michael and Peter Yein, the judge ordered a 12-day recess. Nahmia Shaloka, a Sudanese lawyer who left the country because of his human rights activity and now lives in the United States, said a judge of Khartoum […]
S. Sudan pastors’ trial in Khartoum delayed
German news agency, DPA, reports from one of its stringers in Khartoum that there’s been a delay to the trial of two South Sudanese pastors arrested and for a long time held without charge. Due to the absence of a representative from the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) today, […]