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subject: PERSECUTION REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 18, 2003.

Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2003 18:55:12 -0800

From: "Bruce Atchison" <ve6xtc@telusplanet.net>

To: "Ted" <thilts@help-for-you.com>

CC: "John M. Lindner" <jml@christianaid.org>

The Voice Of The Martyrs provides these stories of Christians suffering for Christ.

China:

Another Prominent Christian Leader Arrested

On the morning of November 9, Dr. Xu Yong-hai and his wife, Li Shan-na were finishing their night shifts at Ping'an Hospital in Beijing where Dr. Xu is a prominent psychiatrist, when they were arrested by the Public Security Bureau (PSB) and taken for interrogation. According to Li, who was released later that day, they were questioned about the activities of Liu Feng-gang, a house church activist who has been held by the PSB since October 13. Li was told that Dr. Xu was accused as "a suspect of espionage the national secrets" in collaborating with Liu Feng-gang. This arrest is only the latest in a new crackdown on leaders of the house church movement in China.

Dr. Xu previously spent two and a half years in "re-education" for his faith. He is a prominent advocate for the house church and has spoken out against corruption in the Chinese medical system.

Dr. Xu had come to faith in Christ in 1989, after loosing faith in the Communist system and seeing the spiritual void. In an interview with Associated Press in 2000, Xu said, "Life without faith is unbearable. But after I found God in 1989, my life totally changed. I felt like a new person."

China:

Zhang Beaten in Custody

Zhang Yi-nan was arrested on September 26 and sentenced to two years of "re-education through labour" for his role in the house church movement (see http://www.persecution.net/news/china7.htm for more details).

VOM sources have learned that, on the first day of his sentence (November 3) in Ping Ding Shan City Lao Dong Jiao Yang Suo, Zhang was badly beaten by other prisoners, at the urging of prison guards. According to an official at the prison camp, who spoke to VOM sources, guards considered this the first lesson in his "re-education." "Zhang Yi-nan is a strong man," said the official, "but he was terribly beaten. His hands were bleeding badly."

Christians are also urged to write a letter of encouragement to Zhang. The address at the prison camp is:

For help in writing a letter, visit our web site at http://www.persecution.net/howto.htm.

China:

Christian Woman Beaten to Death While in Police Custody

The Voice of the Martyrs learned on November 11 about the death of a Christian woman while in police custody. On October 29, Zhang Hong-mei was arrested by local police in Dong Miao Dong village in Jiu Dian Town near Ping Du City in Shandong Province. That afternoon, her family was called and told to pay a bribe of 3,000 RMB (about $475 CDN). When they were unable to raise the money, her husband, Xu Feng-hai, and her brother went to the Public Security Bureau station to request her release. There they witnessed her chained, visibly beaten, and unable to speak to them.

The following afternoon, the family was called and told that she had died. An autopsy showed wounds to her face, hands and leg, and serious internal bleeding. The following day, the family went to the city officials to ask for an inquiry, accompanied by one thousand people in a peaceful protest.

We encourage you to contact your local political representatives, asking them to raise these cases as examples of the way China treats its citizens. For contact information, visit our web site at http://www.persecution.net/links.htm.

Sri Lanka:

Buddhist Militants Brutalize Evangelicals

A November 9 news release from the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka clearly demonstrates the continuing challenges that Sri Lankan churches face from Buddhist militants. We urge your prayers for these and other churches throughout Sri Lanka.

On October 26, the Philadelphia Church Rajagiriya branch, celebrated their seventh anniversary. They rented a community hall to accommodate the guests for this special occasion and other 150 people attended. At 6:30 p.m., a large crowd arrived, including a few Buddhist monks, disrupting the service. The mob accused the pastor of showing disrespect for Buddha by putting a statue of Buddha on the floor, when, in actuality, the mob placed the statue on the floor and demanded that the pastor worship it. When he refused, he was beaten. Chairs were broken, banners destroyed, and musical instruments damaged. The pastor and another member were held hostage by the mob until the police arrived and took them to the station for their safety. Speaking to the police, some of the monks demanded that the church stop all Christian activity in the area.

On October 30, five Buddhists, including two monks, attacked the Assembly of God church in Homagama. In the middle of the day, they entered the house where the church met, dragged out the pulpit and hymnals and burned them, as well as stealing musical instruments.

On the night of November 6, while members of the Calvary Worship Centre in Udugampola were praying, a hand grenade was thrown at the church by a man on a motorcycle. While a vehicle was damaged, as well as some damage to a wall of the building, there were no injuries.

Colombia:

Two Priests Killed

In less than twenty-four hours, two Roman Catholic priests were killed last week, according to Zenit reports. In both cases, authorities are looking for motives behind the killings, but the assassination of religious leaders by Marxist guerrillas is common in Colombia.

On November 4, Father Saulo Carreño, 41, and hospital employee Maritza Linares were driving near Sarare Hospital in Saravena when two men approached on a motorcycle and began shooting. Both occupants of the car were killed.

In a separate incident that night, Father Enrique Lopez, age 44, was bound, gagged, and stabbed to death in his home in Villavicencio. His body was found the next morning by his housekeeper. According to the bishop, there were no known threats against him.

Turkey:

Government violates it's own religion law

Recently, Turkish Christians are being refused permission to legally change their religious designation, even though they are constitutionally permitted to do so. For details please see http://www.persecution.net/news/turkey1.html

Afghanistan:

Constitution lacks religious freedom

Constitutional experts are expressing grave concerns about religious liberty guarantees in Afghanistan's new constitution. http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/marshall200311070906.asp

Australia / India:

Official slanders Christianity on the radio

On the November 5 edition of Dateline, a program on Australia's Special Broadcasting Service, the international general secretary of the Indian government's culture arm, the VHP, declared that Christianity is "a virus" and conversion is "cultural AIDS." http://www.persecution.net/news/sbsforward.html

Please go to http://www.persecution.net to learn more about these incidents and for ways to help those believers.

Christian Aid Mission presents these stories of persecution.

Russia:

Converted homeless People Murdered

A ministry in Russia reaching out to the homeless reported eight of them were recently murdered, including several who had trusted in Christ. Three were brutally stabbed with knives.

"It happens every winter," Yuri Degtar, leader of Works of Faith (WF), said. "Drug addicts beat them for money, for clothing or even to take their place to sleep. The homeless are afraid to sleep even in a doorway."

Addicts demanding money beat one man with a pipe, breaking his arm and his head in three places. He has a bad leg and can hardly walk.

To assist these homeless people, WF operates a daily food tent. Yuri said that about 20 people daily were coming for food. Four of the eight persons killed had been coming to the food tent, and two of them trusted in Christ last summer.

WF conducts Bible studies and new converts attend them with zeal. "They don't just follow God," Yuri said. "They run!" WF personnel talk and work with each person who comes.

"Ironically, almost all who come have families," Yuri said, "but their relatives kicked them out of the house because of their drinking problem."

Some of the homeless worked at garage building during the summer, but now the construction jobs are finished. One man was given a sewing machine and now sews and sells warm mittens. A sister who doesn't have feet knits and sells warm socks and mittens.

But for many their only meal is that provided by Works of Faith. To learn how you can help support this evangelistic ministry with its outreach of mercy, write insider@christianaid.org and put MI445 361WOF on the subject line.

Please check http://www.christianaid.org for missions news.

Forum 18 News has the following religious rights violations to report.

Georgia:

Should violent Orthodox group be banned?

Opinions on whether Jvari, a self-styled Georgian Orthodox organization that has been terrorising religious minorities, should be banned are divided. Human rights activist Levan Ramishvili told Forum 18 News Service that "More important is for its members to be prosecuted." . Members of minority faiths - speaking on condition of anonymity - and western diplomats told Forum 18 that Jvari should have been banned when it began its reign of terror against religious minorities. But diplomats privately expressed little hope to Forum 18 that the authorities would take steps to prosecute those responsible for hundreds of violent attacks against Jehovah's Witnesses and Protestants. Jvari's leader, Paata Bluashvili, told Forum 18 "We're just defending our faith. The Jehovah's Witnesses and all these other groups are criminal sects - they should be banned."

Georgia:

Why can't minority faiths build places of worship?

Latin-rite Catholics, Assyrian Chaldean Catholics, Pentecostals, Yezidis (a uniquely Kurdish ancient faith), True Orthodox, Lutherans, Old Believers, Muslims and Jehovah's Witnesses have all told Forum 18 News Service that the Georgian Orthodox Patriarchate has either caused them problems in or prevented them from acquiring, building or reclaiming places of worship. A leading Yezidi, Agit Mirzoev, told Forum 18 that he had been told by friends of Patriarch Ilya "that it would be an insult for the patriarch to even discuss the subject". However, the Salvation Army, possibly because of its social projects, has not had problems and nor has either the Armenian Apostolic Church, or the Hare Krishna community. The Georgian Orthodox Patriarchate itself is currently building many new churches.

Turkmenistan:

New religion law defies international human rights agreements

Turkmenistan's harsh new religion law, which came into force yesterday, outlaws all unregistered religious activity and a criminal code amendment prescribes penalties for breaking the law of up to a year of "corrective labour", Forum 18 News Service has learnt. Turkmenistan thus joins Uzbekistan and Belarus in defying the international human rights agreements they have signed, by forbidding unregistered religious activity. As only Sunni Muslim and Russian Orthodox communities are de facto able to achieve registration, this is a considerable further move in repressing minority faiths. Forum 18 knows of religious believers having been fined, detained, beaten, threatened, sacked from their jobs, had their homes confiscated, banished to remote parts of the country or deported for unregistered religious activity.

Please go to http://www.forum18.org to learn about religious rights violations in communist and post- communist lands.

ASSIST News presents this story of persecution against Christians.

Egypt:

17 of 22 Christians released, but one dies

17 of 22 Christian converts who were arrested in Alexandria in late October, have been granted bail but one of them died and others still in prison suffer "degradation and abuse," a human rights group said Thursday, November 13.

The Christian who allegedly died in police custody was identified as Isam Abdul Fathr, a man with "high blood sugar levels and bowel problems before his arrest, and was clearly not well enough to survive interrogation and torture," The Barnabus Fund said.

He was among Christians arrested in Alexandria between October 21 and October 24 by Egyptian security forces, after they abandoned their Muslim faith.

"Isam was a Muslim and had been implicated with helping to obtain false papers for the converts," said the U.K. based organization, which investigates the plight of persecuted Christians especially in Islamic nations.

A Christian who converts to Islam in Egypt can receive new ID papers with a new adopted Muslim name within 24 hours, but that is apparently impossible for a Muslim who converts to Christianity.

While Isam died, others in custody were or still are "severely beaten, tortured and...raped," the well informed Barnabus Fund said in a communique send to ASSIST News Service (ANS).

"Seventeen have now been released on bail with cases pending against them, while five others are still being detained," in difficult circumstances The Fund added. It said that Mariam Girgis Makar, who was one of the first to be arrested, is still being held "in the same quarters as prostitutes - in an attempt to add to her degradation."

An official, who was not identified, reportedly informed her that "had her crime been of a nature such as prostitution she would already have been released,". But since she was a convert she "would never get out," The Barnabus Fund reported.

Mariam Girgis Makar, who recently accepted Jesus Christ as her Personal Saviour and Lord, has had "great pressure placed on her to return to Islam and to have a tattoo of a cross on her arm removed," the organization said.

Such tattoos are very common amongst Egyptian Christians. Mariam has also suffered serious sexual abuse at the hands of the police. After having been released and then re-arrested once, Mariam's husband, Yusuf Samuel Makari Suliman, is now one of those finally out of prison.

"He has revealed that on various occasions he was beaten and tortured. Once he was beaten in front of his wife by eight men wielding lengths of plastic cord in an attempt to force them both to return to Islam," The Barnabus Fund said.

Yusuf's former Muslim name was Muhammad Ahmad, a very common name. Police have scoured records of offenders in the area with the same name in order to find outstanding charges that they can pin against him, the organization said in its statement.

Egyptian authorities have not yet reacted to the charges. Human rights watchers say that the detention of the five remaining in prison comes up for review on November 20 when they will either be released or have their period of custody extended.

Those released are being kept under close surveillance by the police in the hope of finding out the identities of yet more converts, said The Barnabus Fund, which has close contacts with the converts.

Please visit http://www.assistnews.net for Christian-oriented news stories.

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