• Just Holy Hardware
• Just Employment
• Just Eduction

40 men gang raped Sr Meena

40 men gang raped Sr Meena
November 21 2008

In her first public appearance since her ordeal, Orissa nun, Sr Meena, said she had been gang raped by forty men while police looked on.

“State police failed to stop the crimes, failed to protect me from the attackers, they were friendly with the attackers,” Sister Meena told a news conference.

More

This post currently has no comments.

Hindus ‘paid for Christian murders’ in India

Hindus ‘paid for Christian murders’ in India
Rhys Blakely, Bombay | November 21, 2008
Article from:  The Australian

EXTREMIST Hindu groups offered money, food and alcohol to mobs to kill Christians and destroy their homes, according to Christian aid workers in the eastern state of Orissa.

The allegations follow the British Government’s refusal to prevent members of two radical groups linked to the worst anti-Christian violence in India since Partition from entering Britain.

The US-based head of a Christian organisation that runs several orphanages in Orissa, one of India’s poorest regions, says Christian leaders are being targeted by Hindu militants.

“The going price to kill a pastor is $US250 ($390),” said Faiz Rahman, chairman of Good News India.

A spokesman for the All-India Christian Council said: “People are being offered rewards to kill, and to destroy churches and Christian properties. They are being offered foreign liquor, chicken, mutton and weapons. They are given petrol and kerosene.”

More

This post currently has no comments.

Relief Workers Arrested in Orissa

EFI NEWS - Relief Workers Arrested in Orissa

November 6, 2008: Orissa police on November 4 arrested seven Christian’s relief workers on false charges of conversion by allurement under 153A/34IPC of section 4 - Orissa Freedom of Religious Act in Bhadrak district.

The Discipleship Centre (DC) is running a social relief project on Disaster Risk Reduction and Holistic Development of Children through Education, Health Care and Community Sensitization for three years in ten villages of Tihili Block.

The incident occurred when five men and two women, all staff of the DC, were travelling to the DC project office on motorcycles when one unidentified cyclist collided with one of the bikes, incurring minor injuries to one of the workers.

Around 50 people soon gathered at the spot which swelled up to a mob of about 400 people. The seven workers were forcibly taken to a nearby cremation ground where the mob started slapping, pushing and beating them up and threatened to burn them alive.

Meanwhile, participants from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in an ongoing protest rally to highlight their issues on ‘forced’ conversion, chanting anti-Christians slogans, passed the ground and joined the crowd.

Police arrived at the spot and DC workers were taken to the police station .Two First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered against the DC staffs for ‘forced’ conversion and for the accident. The social workers have also filed a counter case against the perpetrators.

The Christians are still detained in the police station at press time. Please pray for their safety and early release.

Rev. Dr. Richard Howell
General Secretary
Evangelical Fellowship of India
New Delhi, India

Evangelical Fellowship of India (established 1951) is a charter member of World Evangelical Alliance, an accredited NGO with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations

This post currently has no comments.

Pastor Berlin case now dismissed!!!

Last September 11, the third Branch of Court Appeals chaired by Justice Martin Villarama ordered a temporary restraining order barring Bacoor Regional Trial Court to proceed with the trumped up murder charge against Pastor Berlin and likewise ordered his temporary release in the custody of his counsels. Yesterday, September 25, the CA so ordered to lift and/or recall the warrant of arrests and Alias warrants of arrest and directed the lower court to quash the informations therein and dismiss the criminal case of murder against Pastor Berlin.

Indeed this is a triumph of justice against repression, of truth against lies.

Thanks to all who helped by simply sending an email - activism works!

Congratulations to all those who have taken action on the ground in the Phillipines!

This post currently has no comments.

PASTOR BERLIN GUERRERO - Freedom from detention

Court of Appeals’ Favorable Decision Foreshadowed
PASTOR BERLIN GUERRERO GAINS FREEDOM FROM DETENTION*
September 13, 2008

[*but we still need your help]

On September 11, 2008, in a courtroom packed to capacity with bishops, ecumenical church leaders, clergy, and human rights defenders, the honorable Justice Martin S. Villarama, Jr. delivered an immediate resolution releasing Pastor Berlin Guerrero to the custody of his lead counsel Senator Jovito Salonga and co-counsels Atty. Emilio Capulong and Atty Evelyn Dominguez . A Temporary Restraining Order barring the Regional Trial Court, Branch 19, Bacoor, Cavite from conducting further proceeding on the murder case levied against Pastor Berlin was also immediately granted.
The decision brought an eruption of applause, after which many, both inside the courtroom and keeping vigil outside of the Court of Appeals, cried with tears of happiness. “Today is a story that we must tell again and again. This is a moment of great inspiration to be remembered,” shared misty-eyed Father Rex Reyes, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines. Inside the courtroom Pastor Berlin Guerrero tightly embraced his wife Mylene and his three teenage children. The parents and siblings of Pastor Berlin also huddled close to celebrate the moment.
Lead counsel Senator Salonga gave way to co-council Atty. Emilio Capulong to present the points of the case. Atty. Capulong raised defects on the information of the warrant—most disturbingly that Judge Myrna Lim Verano who originally issued the warrant in the early 1990s never questioned or saw the supposed witness to the murder identifying Pastor Berlin Guerrero as a suspect. Then, Atty. Capulong also presented evidence of the torture of Pastor Berlin.
Justice Villarama focused the bulk of his questions to the opposing counsel on the preliminary hearing conducted by Judge Myrna Lim Verano with the only supposed witness never being presented to the court. He probed if the only ‘evidence’ was merely hearsay. Finally, Justice Villarama asked if the opposing counsel had any objection to our petition for a TRO; there being none, the TRO was granted. Then, Justice Villarama asked Senator Salonga and Atty. Capulong if they would be willing to take Pastor Berlin Guerrero under their custody and Justice Villarama granted the same.
After processing the legal paperwork, Pastor Berlin Guerrero walked free from the Cavite Provincial Jail linked arm-in-arm with his eldest son. A family that has had to endure more than fifteen months of unjust detention and separation took their first breaths of reunion together. As Pastor Berlin awaits the next action of Justice Villarama’s Court and praying that it will be a Resolution of Quashal, Pastor Berlin savors these first precious moments with his family.

“We are extremely pleased with the result of this hearing,” says Bishop Eliezer Pascua, UCCP General Secretary, “we will remain prayerful and vigilant until we hold official papers confirming that the murder case has been quashed. Thanks be to God for Pastor Berlin’s release from detention.” The United Church of Christ in the Philippines has scheduled a Press Conference and Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service for Pastor Berlin to be held 10 am, Tuesday, September 16, 2008, at the National Council of Churches in the Philippines.

Update by: Rebecca Lawson, Staff, United Church of Christ in the Philippines

This post currently has no comments.

Pastor Berlin Guerrero - update

BY BULATLAT
September 11, 2008 - 1:47 p.m.

Detained Pastor Berlin Guerrero was ordered released to the custody of his lawyers this morning by the Court of Appeals (CA).

A United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) pastor, Guerrero was abducted May 27, 2007 by elements of the Naval Intelligence Security Forces. He was allegedly tortured before being turned over to the Philippine National Police (PNP). Only then was he shown a copy of a warrant of arrest for murder charges.

The Court of Appeals began hearing petitions filed by Guerrero’s lawyers former Sen.Jovito Salonga and Emilio Capulong after the case was remanded to the appelate court by the Supreme Court. Court of Appeals Associate Justice Martin Villarama granted a temporary restraining order barring the Cavite Regional Court Branch 19 from proceeding with the hearings on the murder case and directed government lawyers to submit more evidence to justify the trial of Guerrero.

Capulong said that while they were hoping for the dismissal of the case, he deemed that the court’s decision is already favorable. “Bagamat hindi pa tapos, lumiliwanag na ang ating ipinaglalaban para sa katarungan.” (Although the case is not yet over, we are seeing light in our struggle for justice.)

In an interview, Guerrero said, “Bagamat naghihintay pa ng final resolution, magandang patunay na talagang walang batayan ang kaso.” (Although we are still awaiting for the final resolution, today’s decision is proof that the charges filed against me have no basis at all.)

Guerrero was detained for one year, three months and 15 days.

Bulatlat

This post currently has no comments.

JustComment – JustEndPersecution

You can make a comment on issues raised in JustEndPersecution (or tell everyone about upcoming events, articles of interest relating to persecution of Christians and others etc) here.

This post currently has no comments.