Christian Persecution

International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Box 941
Washington, D.C. 20006-1846
Tel: (301) 989-1708
Fax: (301) 989-1709 E-Mail: icc@persecution.org
Web: www.persecution.org



Press Release — May 29, 2002

Pakistan: Christians Await Outcome of Death Sentence Under Pakistan’s Blasphemy Law
(Washington, DC – May 29, 2002) It has been one year since the Lahore High Court confirmed the death sentence that had been handed down against jailed Christian Ayub Masih. It was final – he would be executed by hanging. His crime – blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammed.

The 35 year old Christian, Ayub Masih, a mason by trade, was arrested on October 14, 1996. Ayub is the second eldest among 11 children. Ayub’s family has also suffered anguish as a result of the blasphemy accusations. For the past five and a half years since Ayub’s arrest, the lives of his entire family have been disrupted. They live under a constant fear for their lives and continue to receive numerous threats from Muslim radicals. Ayub’s mother, Bishera Bibi, last year expressed her frustrations to a representative of the Washington, DC based human rights organization International Christian Concern (ICC): “Our lives are always in danger and many times we had given up hope that we would ever have our son back. We are unable to get justice in the courts.” Discouraged and frustrated, Bishera spoke through her tears saying, “He is suffering for a crime that he has never committed.”

Today, Ayub Masih and his family are still holding out hope that his death sentence will be overturned by Pakistan’s Supreme Court. More than a dozen cases have been filed against Christians as a result of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, Penal Code 295-B & C. However, no Christian has yet been executed under the law. Concerning Ayub’s case, the court could pass down a favorable ruling any day, providing a judge doesn’t succumb to intimidation from the radical Muslims, which often has been the case. In 1997, a judge was murdered after acquitting two Christians charged under the blasphemy laws.

Ayub’s attorney, Abid Hasan Minto, is appealing the death sentence based on a legal technicality that requires the local authorities to prove the reliability of a witnesses before charges can be filed. Minto is confident that this approach will result in Ayub’s acquittal.

From his prison cell, Ayub continues to hold on to his faith in God. In an earlier visit with Ayub at his prison cell, he told an ICC representative: "I am tortured and forced by Muslim inmates to convert to Islam, but I refuse to obey them. The behavior of the jail authorities and Muslim inmates is inhumane.”

Ayub has been tortured several times while in Jail by Muslim inmates and the jail authorities. The food and conditions in the jail have been poor. Many times during the winter months he was denied a blanket or heater. As a result, he is suffering from poor health. On numerous occasions he suffered torture in an attempt to force him to convert to Islam, but despite the abuse he has refused to give in.

Although President Musharraf promised he would eliminate the blasphemy laws after he seized power in a 1999 coup, he has failed to take any action in abolishing the laws.

Another blasphemy case that ICC is following is that of accused Christian Aslam Masih (unrelated to Ayub Masih). Aslam was arrested in 1998 and charged in Faisalabad for having “defiled a copy of the Koran.” He has already been sentenced to two life sentences. This sentence was handed down earlier this month during the time that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released its third annual global report. The report charged Pakistan of committing “grave violations of religious freedom.”

ICC is urging concerned Christians to send a fax to the Attorney General of Pakistan to protest the blasphemy law and to urge the Pakistani government to acquit Ayub Masih and Aslam Masih. Send a fax to: Attorney General Aziz A. Munshi at 011-92-51-9215852.

POSTED: June 24, 2002

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International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Box 941
Washington, D.C. 20006-1846
Tel: (301) 989-1708
Fax: (301) 989-1709 E-Mail: icc@persecution.org
Web: www.persecution.org



Press Release — July 1, 2002

Pakistani Christian Girl Raped by Muslim Landlord
(July 1, 2002) The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern, has just become aware of the case of Miss Shakeela Siddique of Fatewala village in the district of Gujranwala, Pakistan. Several months ago, upon reporting to work at the home of Mr. Azam, Shakeela, a 16-year-old Christian girl, was raped at gunpoint by the Muslim landlord, who had sent his wife and children into town in order to carry out this dastardly deed in secret. After having his way with the poor Christian girl, Azam then threatened to kill Shakeela and burn her family to death if she ever told anyone about the rape.

Ashamed and horrified, Shakeela quit her job as one of Azam's domestic servants. However, after two months, Shakeela realized she was pregnant, making it necessary to tell her parents about the rape. Shakeela's father, Siddique Masih, then approached Azam and was mercilessly beaten and driven out of the landlord's home. The police refused to help Siddique pursue the case because the family of Azam is very influential in the village. With much mental anguish, Shakeela received an abortion, hoping to avoid further shame and social stigma.

Shakeela's mother told an ICC representative that before the rape "Shakeela was a committed Christian girl and prayed daily. She was very caring for her family. That is why she wanted to contribute to lower the financial burden of her father." Shakeela had decided to work for Azam to help support her six brothers and sisters. However, her life has been drastically changed by the rape. Her father told ICC: "My every thing has been ruined as my daughter is a living corpse. No Christian in our village can think to raise [his] voice against the Muslim landlord on this cruelty." Siddique's family is one of only 50 Christian families in a predominantly Muslim village.

Sadly, Shakeela's case is not an isolated one. Across Pakistan Christian women are targeted for sexual abuse by Muslims who believe they can get away with their crime because Christians have little legal protection in the corrupt judicial system. Some Christian girls have been raped and then forced into becoming Muslims and marrying their rapists so that the crime would not be exposed. One such case is that of Naira Nadia, who was kidnapped and raped in February 2001. To date Nadia remains missing because the Lahore High Court has refused to help her parents, claiming Nadia had married her attacker. Nadia's case is now being taken up by the Supreme Court, which could overturn the ruling of the lower court. Nadia's birth certificate confirms her to be a minor and unable to legally marry or convert to another religion without her parents' consent.

ICC urges American Christians to raise their voices in concern about the treatment of Christian women in Pakistan. Write immediately to Pakistani Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi and ask for her help in securing justice for Christian victims of rape and forced marriage.

Embassy of Pakistan
2315 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20008
Fax: (202) 387-0484

POSTED: July 1, 2002

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International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Box 941
Washington, D.C. 20006-1846
Tel: (301) 989-1708
Fax: (301) 989-1709 E-Mail: icc@persecution.org
Web: www.persecution.org



Press Release — May 14, 2002

Ten More Christians Arrested In Saudi Arabia
(Washington, DC – May 14, 2002) On Friday May10, 2002, the Saudi police in Jeddah arrested ten Christians at a meeting place known for some time by the Saudi authorities to be a gathering place for Ethiopian and Eritrean Christians. They were arrested as they arrived at a weekly Friday worship service.

Details of Friday’s arrests were relayed to the Washington, DC based human rights organization International Christian Concern (ICC). A Christian present at the time of the police raid, who asked not to be identified, said: “The Saudis, irregular as they always are, let some of us pass unquestioned. Other Christians who were arriving by car drove off when they noticed suspicious police vehicles parked near the building that serves as our church. Those who made it safely to the church, together with those who had stayed at the church since the previous night, completed the scheduled Friday Bible classes. While we were continuing with the regular Friday service, seven police officers forced themselves into our church. We all politely stood up, showing respect to our Saudi guests, and blessed them. We then sat down quietly as the police questioned Mr. Endashaw Adane. The intruders then searched the adjoining premises for alcoholic drinks or anything they can use as an excuse to harass us. When they came back to where we were all assembled, they found us praying.”

The total number of detainees has been confirmed to be ten. Nine were detained on May 10th. They include: 1. Mekbeb Tilahun 2. Amsalu Sefaf 3. Miss Sisay Daba 4. Miss Saba Haile 5. Miss Bertukan Belayneh 6. Ali Abegaz 7. Miss Konjit Bidiquo 8. Miss Abrehet Gebremedhin 9. Miss Almaz Berakhi.

The men detainees are at a nearby Sharafeya police station. The whereabouts of the six female Christians is not known at this time.

Late Saturday night, May 11, 2002, three Ministry of Interior agents, two plainclothes and one in uniform, came to the church. They found the church caretaker Ghirmay Embaye and the janitor Miss Beletu Funja. They took both to the Sharafeya prison and questioned them. Ghirmay was sent home and Beletu was sent to the Terhil (deportation) prison. With the arrest of Miss Beletu, the total number of detainees is now at ten.

This recent arrest marks the third raid on Christian homes or meeting places since early last summer. A total of 14 were arrested during the summer and the last one was finally released and deported in late March. Then on April 25, 2002, in the area of Malaz, near Riyadh, a group of Christians holding a late-night prayer meeting were detained and interrogated. The Malaz area is where a number of Christians were arrested in October 1999. The recent raid in Malaz included more than 20 Christians of different nationalities (including children) who were interrogated. Some were arrested and it has not been confirmed if they are still being detained or have been released.

With Saudi Arabia’s reluctant support of America’s War on Terrorism, it appears that the Saudi government is carrying out its own war – a war against Christians who practice their faith in this Muslim kingdom that has traditionally shown no tolerance toward Christians.

POSTED: May 18, 2002

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Mass Arrests of Chinese Christians
Source: Compass Direct

A total of 48 Protestant and Catholic Christians, including one pastor and two priests, were arrested in January by Chinese police enforcing draconian anti-religious laws forbidding worship outside state-sponsored churches.
The largest roundup came over the weekend of January 20 in Henan province where 46 house church Christians were arrested. Previously, 25 Protestants were arrested in December. Most have been released after paying fines.

The arrests of the 46 Protestants come not long after the largest roundup of Protestants for years, when 140 were arrested in two swoops in late October and early November last year. Two underground priests were arrested on January 25 in Hebei province.

A high ranking government source told Compass in late January: "Christians will continue to be arrested in larger groups throughout 1999 because the government is very skittish about any kind of illegal assembling of people."

Meanwhile, Christians in northern China are risking fines of up to a year's income if caught sheltering starving refugees from North Korea.

With the rivers separating North Korea from Liaoning and Jilin provinces in China now frozen, many are making a desperate dash by night to cross into China. Most are shot by Korean border guards enforcing a 1998 shoot-to-kill policy. Others freeze to death. Should they make it to China, authorities return them to North Korea, where they are shot or often die in labor camps.

One Chinese Christian said: "We saw a poor man of about 30 stagger into our yard, just skin and bone." Before he died, the young man spoke of appalling conditions in North Korea, including stories of young women who will not marry because they refuse to "have children and then watch them starve."

Religious belief in North Korea was supposedly stamped out in the 1950s by atheistic campaigns of great brutality, though by then many of Korea's Christians had fled to the South. Estimates that there are still 100,000 Christians underground in Korea exist, but cannot be verified in what still counts as one of the world's most Stalinist and repressive state.



Compass Direct

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Vietnam: 14 Tribal Pastors Sent to Undisclosed Prison

A confidential contact told Christian Aid Monday that 14 Vietnamese pastors were arrested in that country's Central Highlands in the last two weeks. The exact location of these pastors is not certain.

This brings to 26 the known number of Christian pastors laboring in Vietnam's rural prison system, including 12 who remain in the notorious brick kilns in the North.

Even though the Communist government has been attempting to convince the world it is taking steps to improve its stance on human rights, in actual practice authorities there have been pressing a brutal persecution campaign against Christians in the Central Highlands and other tribal areas.

The recent arrests were in retaliation for the Vietnamese Christians who recently obtained refugee status after fleeing to Cambodia and were given clearance to immigrate to the United States, the contact said.

"The greatest obstacles faced by the Vietnamese people who desire to come to the Christian faith include ancestor worship and the brutality of the local authorities," said Steve Snyder, president of Washington, DC-based International Christian Concern who visited Vietnam on a fact-finding mission in March. "People who become Christians are discriminated against and may be watched, fined, they lose their job, their children are not allowed in school, their movements are restricted, and they are omitted from any government assistance during floods that commonly plague the country." Snyder's complete report can be found at www.persecution.org.

The Hmong along the Chinese border probably suffer the most. Of the 600,000 Hmong living in the region, over 14,000 have fled to the central highlands in the last five years.

House meetings of tribal Christians are routinely broken up by Public Security Police, who wantonly confiscate Bibles, hymnals, and personal property and furnishings of the believers. Some families are forced to flee their homes with only what they can carry on foot; others flee taking nothing with them so they won't attract attention.

Pastors especially are targeted by authorities. In some localities pastors are forbidden to leave their villages after dark. Sometimes a policeman is assigned to sleep in the pastor's house and eat the family's food without compensation in order to monitor the family's activities. Authorities sometimes come in the middle of the night while the family is asleep and take the pastor away to an undisclosed location. The pastors are sentenced arbitrarily, though typically for three-year terms. During this time the families must figure out how to survive without them.

In the northern prisons, the Hmong pastors are required to work in the brick kilns 10 hours a day, seven days a week. They have to carry 2000 bricks a day to receive their ration of food. If they fail to meet their quota, or can't work because they are sick, they get no food.

Despite extreme difficulties, there are estimated to be hundreds of thousands of believers among the Hmong and other tribal groups. Despite risk of being raided, beaten and deprived of their belongings and even loved ones, these tribal Christians continue to meet in small house groups. Building church buildings is illegal. Many of them need Bibles. Others of them are undergoing leadership training sessions, even though they know this could lead to beatings and imprisonment. Some of the house-church leaders could use bicycles or motorcycles.

Christian Aid has connections to get aid to Vietnamese Christians for the purpose of purchasing Bibles, radios, bicycles, motorcycles and helping families who have fled persecution or whose pastor-fathers are in prison. For more information, contact insider@christianaid.org and put MI-323 740-VEC on the subject line.

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Blaspemy 'Convict' Shot Dead in Pakistani Jail
Moderate Muslim's Appeal Case
by Barbara G. Baker

ISTANBUL, June 14 (Compass) -- A Pakistani Muslim convicted of alleged religious blasphemy was shot dead by a fellow prisoner yesterday afternoon in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Central Jail.

M. Yousaf Ali was reportedly being transferred from his death-row cell in the jail's Block Seven to Block One about 2:30 p.m. when he was killed by a convicted murderer identified only as Tariq, sometimes using the alias Mota. Using a .30-caliber pistol, the assailant shot at Yousaf Ali at close range. Four of the bullets hit his chest, killing him instantly.

According to an article in today's "Daily Times," when the jail's superintendent arrived at the scene of the crime, the killer exclaimed loudly, "It was your duty, but I have done it." The "Dawn" newspaper reported that such panic spread in the jail after the murder that it took jail authorities four hours to bring the situation under control.

The jail superintendent announced his resignation a few hours after the crisis. Shortly afterwards, Deputy Inspector General of Prisons Sarfaraz Mufti put the jail's assistant superintendent, Bashir Chaudhry, and two jail wardens under arrest on charges of negligence.

Although Mufti refused to comment on the arrests, he told local press that an official inquiry had been ordered into the murder. A jail insider admitted to a "Daily Times" reporter that the unscheduled transfer of prisoners had been ordered by Chaudhry.

"It was not a routine transfer," a journalist who went to the Kot Lakhpat jail last night told Compass. "The fact that the murderer was standing there ready, brandishing his gun as he waited for the other prisoner to come, points toward complicity." According to one jail source, the murder weapon had been in Tariq's possession for four months.

Several Pakistani dailies reported that the killer belonged to the banned militant group, Sipah-e-Sahaba. But according to one journalist following the case, "He was just an ordinary murderer who had already killed three people. He had been convicted for one murder, and is still on trial for two other murders. Now he is guilty of four murders."

A moderate Pakistani Muslim about 60 years of age, Yousaf Ali was waiting for his appeal to be heard before the Lahore High Court of his sessions court conviction, handed down in August 2000. He was jailed more than four years ago on accusations that he had declared himself a prophet.

"He had a strong religious bent," a Lahore source who had read a book written by Yousaf told Compass today. "But he never made such claims in his book. He was convicted on the basis of a video recording of a religious gathering which he attended, where he simply said that he 'felt the presence of the Prophet Mohammed' there.

"He was a stable, decent man," the source stressed. "He had not committed blasphemy."

Yesterday's attack deepened concerns of local human rights advocates that similar attempts might be made against the lives of at least 75 other Pakistani citizens currently known to be incarcerated on allegations of blasphemy in the nation's jails.

With an increased number of Islamist activists jailed in recent months in the Pakistan government's crackdown on international terrorism, blasphemy prisoners now find themselves sharing cells with the most violent category of prisoners.

"Since they are associated with religious organizations like Al-Qaeda, they threaten and beat the [accused blasphemers] whenever they get the opportunity," the Lahore-based Center for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) noted in a statement released June 6. "Jail authorities are cognizant of these facts," CLAAS coordinator Joseph Francis noted.

"This is the new tactic of the extremist Muslim lobby in Pakistan," a Pakistani church leader told Compass today. "We are very worried about Ayub Masih, and all other prisoners accused on false blasphemy charges," he said. "All they have to do is take him out of his cell, and he could be killed, too."

Abid Hassan Minto, a lawyer currently defending two of the most prominent blasphemy prisoners on death row in Pakistan, told Compass today that the families of his clients have already asked for increased security for their jailed relatives, in the wake of yesterday's Kot Lakhpat murder.

Minto is representing Christian Ayub Masih in the first death sentence for blasphemy ever to be appealed before the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He is also defending Muslim professor Dr. Younis Sheikh before the Lahore High Court, appealing a death sentence handed down against him last October.

According to compiled lists from local human rights activists, Pakistani citizens jailed on blasphemy charges during the year 2001 alone included some 40 Muslims, 23 members of the Ahmadi sect, 10 Christians and two Hindus.

Amended 16 years ago under the dictatorial regime of Zia ul-Haq, Pakistan's vaguely written, harsh laws against blasphemy now require execution for anyone convicted of slandering the prophet Mohammed, with long jail terms and fines for "lesser" offenses against Islam and the Koran. Although no one has ever been executed, the accused spend years in jail while under trial and must flee the country after acquittal to avoid assassination.

Government leaders from the former prime minister, Benazair Bhutto, to the current chief executive, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, have tried to introduce procedural changes in the controversial laws, in order to prevent their abuse. But in the face of violent threats from Islamist political groups, Islamabad has backtracked every time, leaving the so-called "black laws" intact.

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They Sang in their Cells in Bangladesh Despite Persecution

Three Gospel for Asia Bible school students in Bangladesh were sharing Christ in the village of Vasu during a six-month ministry assignment. Muslim extremists, angry to see a Gospel witness in their village, went to the police with false claims that the young men were terrorists.

At 5:30 a.m. on March 18, army police arrested the men and took them in for questioning. Though the missionary trainees carefully explained their identity, the authorities put them behind bars. It was a nightmarish day the three will never forget.

The students were severely beaten with bamboo rods and endured unthinkable torture. One of the police officers pierced a pin into the fingernail of one brother, causing him excruciating pain. For the whole day all three were writhing in pain, unable even to move because they had been so brutally beaten. From the next day on, the police were lenient and allowed them to sing and pray in their cell-witnessing for Jesus even to their persecutors. Meanwhile, local GFA leaders diligently sought to secure their freedom.

Finally, 23 days after the arrest, the students were released upon signing a bond. While the investigation of their case continues, they are required to report to the police station on a regular basis. Thankfully they are in good spirits.

These dedicated young men--Lal, Hebrai, and Roal--all come from the same tribal group and are ministering among the Tripuri tribal communities of Bangladesh. Even on that terrible day of beating, they had joy to share in the sufferings of Christ and are ready, if necessary, to give their lives for Jesus' sake. Please pray that they will stand strong in faith and that God will use them to bring thousands to faith in Christ.

Visit Gospel for Asia for more information.

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Laskar Jihad likely culprits in Indonesian bus bombing; Central Sulaweisi pastor martyred

Sources of the The Voice of the Martyrs in Indonesia say members of the militant Islamic group Laskar Jihad are likely responsible for a bus bomb blast near Poso on Wednesday. VOM has learned more details about the attack that killed at least four people and injured 17 others.

"Two men wearing military fatigues got off the bus about 10-15 minutes before the explosion," said one VOM source. "Twenty-four people were riding in the bus and all of them were Christians. One bomb was placed in the front of the bus and another in the back. Only one bomb exploded, but if the second one had detonated, everyone on board would have been killed."

Among those killed was Pastor Freddy Makawimbang. He was traveling to Poso to continue his work on a house-rebuilding project for Christian refugees. One of the pastor's church members was traveling with Makawimbang and suffered leg injuries. He is being questioned by police as a material witness of the incident.

"Our sources tell us that the two men wearing military fatigues were likely members of the Laskar Jihad," said VOM spokesman Gary Lane. "In the past, Laskar Jihad warriors have often worn military fatigues to disguise themselves when attacking Christians and we can be certain that Christians would not attack a bus carrying fellow Christians."

VOM urges the Indonesian government to send more military troops to the area to protect Christians from further attack. The Indonesian military reportedly began withdrawing more than a thousand troops from the area just days before the bombing.

The bus attack was the first since a radical Muslim mob attacked a Christian village in the Muluku islands and another detonated a bomb and set a church on fire in the city of Ambon late last April. Just two days before that attack, the commander of the Laskar Jihad, Jafar Umar Thalib had urged Muslims to wage jihad against Christians throughout the Mulukus.

Christians and Muslims signed a peace deal in Central Sulaweisi last December and another one in Ambon last February to put an end to more than three years of religious violence. Last March, one pastor in the town of Tentena urged North American Christians to keep praying for the people of the Central Sulaweisi fishing village. "Pray for us," he said, "Because the plans of Laskar Jihad not stop yet."

The Voice of the Martyrs immediately sent help from its Families of the Martyrs Fund to the widow of pastor Freddy Makawimbang. The mission has distributed more than 6,000 Indonesia Life Packs to refugees throughout Indonesia and is also helping to rebuild the burned homes of Christian refugees in Poso .VOM is also involved in printing and distributing the Bible and other Christian books in the Indonesian language.

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Indonesian Christians Face Tough Decision

Indonesian Christians are learning the hard way what it means to "forsake all and follow Christ."

Christian Aid's contact in Indonesia said Sunday that Christians in some villages that have been taken over by Laskar Jihad militant Muslims are being offered the opportunity to leave their villages, but on one condition: They must relinquish all right to their homes, businesses and properties, and never return to their villages again.

Some Christians have been "Islamicized" by being forcefully circumcised. Others are still living as Christians in their communities now controlled by militant Muslims. They are now being told they can leave without becoming Muslims-but the price they must pay for their freedom is to forsake everything they own and never return. Anyone who remains in the village must convert to Islam. Spokespersons for the Islamic community said they will never allow Christians to live in "their" village again.

Christian Aid has provided funds to pay for boat fare for those willing or able to escape from Muslim-held villages. Additional funds are needed to provide food, clothing, housing and other needs for thousands of Christians either chased out of their villages by rampaging Muslim militants, or who have escaped villages now controlled by the Muslims.

For more information, see Insider stories for April 30 and May 7 and 14 and earlier on our website www.christianaid.org or write insider@christianaid.org and put MI-321 750-PERS on the subject line.

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URGENT APPEAL TO HALT EXECUTION OF NORTH KOREAN CHRISTIANS

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

YUNNAN PROVINCE, PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (ANS) -- Christian Solidarity Worldwide is raising urgent concern for a group of North Koreans who are in the process of being sent back to North Korea, where they are in danger of execution.

According to CSW, the six defectors were arrested in Yunnan Province in China, near the Laos/Burma border between 24th - 26th May. They were attempting to leave China, without a guide, but were arrested and are now being taken by the Chinese authorities to North China for repatriation to North Korea.

"The group was sent to Kunmin on the morning of 29th May and have been transported to Changchun today. The situation is particularly urgent as the Chinese are moving exceptionally fast in this case," said a spokesman for CSW.

"Amongst the group is Lee Song-yong, a 2 1/2 year old boy, born 15th November 1999 in 292 Chinese Army Hospital in Beijing. Lee's mother, Park Sun-hi, aged 31, was 3 months pregnant when she fled to China for freedom in May 1999," the spokesman said.

Afraid of arrest and repatriation in China she managed to reach South Korea on 22nd November 2002. She is now a South Korean citizen, CSW said. "However she could not take her 12-month-old baby at the time and has been desperate to bring him to live with her. She managed to find a group of North Koreans preparing to leave China and asked them to take her son with them. Unfortunately this is the group that has been arrested," CSW said.

CSW also reports that a second member of the group is Mr. Lee Hong-gang, aged 48. He was an underground Christian in North Korea. His father and one of his two brothers were executed for their Christian faith in North Korea. He fled North Korea in April 2000 when there were indications that his arrest and execution were imminent.

Accounts from North Korean defectors who have been recaptured and interrogated by the North Korean authorities systematically report that being a Christian or even having had contact with a Christian is one of the most serious crimes that a North Korean can commit. Eyewitness evidence gathered by CSW and other organizations attests that North Koreans who have tried to escape and who are Christians face execution. It is believed by those close to the situation that there is no doubt that he would be executed if he is repatriated to North Korea, CSW reported.

A third member of the group is 30 year old Kim Mi-hwa, the spokesman said.

The CSW spokesman told ASSIST News Service (ANS):"The other serious crime that North Korean interrogators look for is links with South Korea, as this is deemed the ultimate act of treason. The facts that the group were heading for South Korea, and Lee Song-yong's mother has already defected to South Korea, are grave grounds for concern for the welfare of the group.

"This is a very serious case. It is understood that China and North Korea have an agreement that China will repatriate North Koreans to North Korea. We know from first hand evidence that this gives rise to the most horrific human rights abuses, including execution. Recent cases that have caught international attention have resulted in a more humanitarian response, with North Koreans seeking refuge in embassies being allowed to leave China for safety," the spokesman added.

CSW said that China's international reputation is at risk in sending these people back to certain death. "Besides the obvious outcry which such action should precipitate, her position as host of the Olympic Games in 2008 has to be called into question while such barbaric acts are carried out."

CSW is urgently appealing for expressions of concern from around the world to be communicated to the Chinese authorities to halt the repatriation. "We would be very grateful if you could raise your concern as a matter of urgency and urge others to do the same. CSW is calling on political representatives, the UNHCR, the press, the International Olympic Committee and others with influence to urgently voice concern over this situation. Please use any contacts you have with these channels to encourage them to take this up as a matter of urgency," the spokesman added.

Those interested in pursuing this case may write to the following Embassies:

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Tang Jiaxuan
Minister of Foreign Affairs
2 Chaoyangmenneidajie Dongsi,
Beijing 100701
People's Republic of China
Tel: 00 86 10 6596 1109/14
Fax: 00 86 10 6596 2660
Email: webmaster@fmprc.gov.cn

Chinese Embassy to the United Kingdom
His Excellency Mr Ma Zhengang
Ambassador
Chinese Embassy to the United Kingdom
49-51 Portland Place
London W1N 4JL
Tel: 020 7299 4049
Fax: 020 7636 2981 / 7636 5578

Chinese Mission to the United Nations in Geneva
His Excellency Mr Qiao Zonghuai
Tel: 00 41 22 879 56 00 / 78 / 50 / 41
Fax: 00 41 22 793 70 14
E-mail: mission.china@ties.itu.int

Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the UN in New York
His Excellency Mr Wang Yingfan
Tel: + 1 212 655 6100 (switch) / 655 6123 (Ambassador)
Fax: + 1 212 634 7626
E-mail: chinamission_un@fmprc.gov.cn

Embassy of the People's Republic of China (USA)
Tel + 1 202 328 2500
Fax: + 1 202 588 0032
chinaembassy_us@fmprc.gov.cn

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
94 rue de Montbrillant
1202 Geneva
Switzerland
Tel: 00 41 22 739 8111
Fax: 00 41 22 739 7377
E-mail: hqpr00@unhcr.ch

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