February 2010

On 23 November 2009, 57 women and men were massacred in Maguindanao, Mindanao in the Philippines. Concepcion ‘Connie’ Brizuela of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines and a human rights lawyer was among the 22 women who were massacred. Two of the women victims were pregnant. At least five women were sexually molested before being murdered. The perpetrators were members of a legalized private army of the local Ampatuan family.

The Massacre

The victims were part of a convoy of Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadato’ relatives going to the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao to file the candidacy certificate of Esmael Mangudadato for the post of governor. This was a challenge to the decade long hold on the post by the Ampatuan family. Witnesses said the convoy was blocked by around 100 armed men led by Maguindanao Shariff Aguak Chief Police Inspector Zukarno Adil Dicay and Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr, mayor of one of the towns in Maguindanao and one of the members of the Ampatuan clan, a major ally of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the past 2004 and 2007 elections.

Alan Howe (punch.com.au)

The Herald Sun has been supporting the Victorian Opposition in their call to get rid of suspended sentences. Writer Alan Howe outlined the story of a mother who allowed her child to drink alcohol to bolster this case. Most people would share Mr. Howe’s revulsion at the situation. However the solution he proposes is questionable. Do we need more people like the mother in the story to go to jail? More deeply, does the community somehow feel better about itself by demonising ‘our worst mum’? Some more questions, of a more legal nature, here.

The Global Council of Indian Christians recorded 72 attacks on Christians in India’s southern state of Karnataka in 2009.

On 17 January 2010, Hindu militants in Ullal, Mangalore Taluka, bashed Baswamma Sangappa (aged 44) after they were told she was a convert to Christianity. Police also beat her, before arresting her. She was released after a local MP intervened on her behalf. No one has been charged with her assault.

On 28 January 2010, arsonists torched the Jesus Loves Holy Temple Church in Molakalmuru town, Chitradurga district, Karnataka.

On 1 February, Hindi extremists in Thagacur village, Kodagu district, Karnataka, dragged 11 Christians out of their homes and had them arrested on charges of seeking to procure false and fraudulent conversions. The police stated that the Christians had been arrested for ‘inviting local Hindus for prayer meetings to convert them’.

On 4 February, unidentified assailants broke into St Mathias Church in Mandya district in Karnataka and destroyed church property.

In April 2009 the End Christian Persecution Network of the Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania requested supporters write to the Chinese authorities and the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs about Chinese Christian human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng. Mr Gao remains ‘disappeared’ after being arrested by Chinese security forces in January 2009.

AFP reported on 6 February 2010 that Gao Zhisheng had been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by the US Congress.

His wife, Geng He, told the US Congress that “These past few weeks, I can’t sleep until 3 am every night. My heart aches because I recall every single detail. Really, sometimes I feel that it might be better if he were dead than alive. But I am hoping and I am ready to trade my own life for his so that the family can go on.”

She voiced hope that appeals from the US and other foreign nations would help. “Unless there is international pressure, I fear that in the future there may be no more lawyers in China who will take up these cases.”

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu refused to answer questions from foreign reporters on Mr Gao’s whereabouts. Mr Ma said “I guess that he should be where he should be.”

The End Christian Persecution Network of the Uniting Church in Victoria thanks  everyone who wrote letters calling for the release of Mr Gao.

At the end of May 2007, Pastor Berlin Guerrero was abducted and tortured by members of the Philippines security forces. He was imprisoned for 15 months before a court finally threw the charges against him out on the grounds they were baseless.

Pastor Berlin in happier times with family

On 6 May 2008, armed men abducted Pastor Rodel Canja and pressured him to provide evidence that Pastor Berlin Guerrero had links to the Communist Party in the Philippines. He was threatened with death if he did not manufacture the evidence his abductors wanted. He was held for four days and then blindfolded, put into a vehicle and dropped on a deserted road with threats of harm to him and his family if he reported what had happened to him.

Just End Christian Persecution provided updates and calls to action about Pastor Guerrero throughout that difficult time.

On the last week of November 2009, Pastor Canja began to receive calls from someone who said he wanted to meet Pastor Canja in person.

Christian leaders around the world are distressed at Philippines arrests of a former church official and other health workers. Dr. Alexis Montes is a former health program coordinator of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP – a Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania partner church). Dr. Montes has outlined to a court that he was handcuffed and blindfolded for nearly 36 hours in what appears to a truly hellish scenario.

Dr. Alex Montes, handcuffed to a soldier, at the Court of Appeals (Photo by Janess Ann J. Ellao / bulatlat.com)

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Quote of the week

“Victoria has recently produced a visionary 10-year reform framework which outlines a pathway for the whole nation. However will the State be able to devote the resources needed to translate this vision into reality? I estimate we would need to at least double in real terms the share of the State health budget devoted to mental health. Incidentally this would finally bring it into line with the proportion of the burden of disease which is caused by mental ill health. At last, a fair deal for the mentally ill.”

- Professor Patrick McGorry, (Victorian) Australian of the Year 2010

Thursday, 11 Feb 2010

The National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) expresses extreme concern over the arrest, continued detention and alleged torture of 43 health workers in the Philippines on Friday, February 6, including Dr.
Alexis Montes a former commission member of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) and former health program coordinator of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (United Church of Christ in the Philippines).

”Asthma attack, buzzed for help, no response”, was how the late prisoner of G4S-run Port Phillip prison Ian Westcott described his last pleas for assistance. The Uniting Church’s Synod of Victoria and Tasmania opposes the privatisation of the prison system. It is disturbing that the Victorian Government is set to enter into a multimillion-dollar prison contract with the private company, G4S, whose human rights record has been called into question in various cases, including the death of Mr Westcott.

The Australian Commonwealth Government wishes to strengthen their role in the UN. An important step would be to sign up to one human rights convention that Australia has not signed – the Migrant Workers Convention.

Support migrant workers, and consider signing this Amnesty International petition.