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‘Sorrow is a defeatist movement’: An interview with Sombath Somphone’s wife Ng Shui-Meng

Posted on 10/06/2025 by cswpress in Asia, Laos

On the evening of 15 December 2012, Sombath Somphone, a leading democracy activist from Laos, was stopped at a police checkpoint on a busy street in the country’s capital Vientiane. Footage from a traffic CCTV camera shows that within minutes of him being stopped, unknown individuals forced him into another vehicle and drove him away in the presence of police officers. The footage also showed an unknown individual arriving and driving Somphone’s vehicle away from the city centre.

Three years later, Somphone’s family obtained new CCTV footage from the same area and made it public. The video shows his car being driven back towards the city by another unknown individual.

Somphone specialised in advocating for education of all Laotians, particularly in poor rural areas. He was perhaps the most prominent member of Laos’ small civil society: his work aimed at setting up a community-based development by incorporating the knowledge and opinion of rural people in the planning and management of development projects and programmes throughout the country.

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For religious minorities in India, even tragedies turn into trials

Posted on 05/06/2025 by cswpress in Asia, India

Once again a terror attack has left Muslims across India not just shaken like all other Indians, but also defending their very existence. Someone, somewhere, with a gun and an agenda, committed a horrific act — but it was their name, their identity and their faith that suddenly became suspect.

Twenty-six people were killed when terrorists attacked tourists in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April. The attackers reportedly singled out non-Muslims, even asking some to recite the Islamic Kalima (Islamic prayers derived from hadiths that are often used to aid South Asia Muslim children to memorise key beliefs) to prove their faith.

It was horrifying. And yet, in the midst of the horror, ordinary Kashmiris—Muslim men and women—risked their lives to save strangers. People like Nazakat Ahmad Shah, a tour guide, and Rayees Ahmad Bhatt, President of the Pony Owners’ Association, pulled survivors from danger. A local pony guide Syed Adil Hussain Shah gave his life while trying to protect a little girl. But instead of being praised for their efforts, the Muslim community, especially the Kashmiri Muslim community, was vilified. Their bravery was quickly forgotten, the national mood shifted from mourning to suspicion—and the blame – as it so often does in India – landed on an entire community.

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Prayer, outreach, free expression – the Cuban government won’t tolerate the truth

Posted on 02/06/2025 by cswpress in Cuba, Latin America

A mid-size church located in a population facing significant economic and social challenges organises a weeknight, evening prayer service. Members of the church attend and participate in a series of structured times of prayer. At times they pray silently, at others the pastor leads them in prayer, and in one session they gather around the national flag to pray for the needs facing those in their community and country. Their prayers speak of fundamental needs – for food, for medicine, for a reduction in crime, for the provision of basic services to all.

In another part of the country, the pastor of a church takes steps to address a specific need in his community, which is also enduring hardship. Together with the church leadership, he coordinates a general collection to meet the needs. Members of the church, and many in the larger community, join in the effort and together they are able to put together packages of essential goods to give away to the most desperate.

Neither of these scenarios would attract much notice in many parts of the world. Those who did not share the faith of those involved might think some of the practices a little strange, but not harmful. Not so in Cuba, however, where the simple act of praying for the country – especially in conjunction with the use of the national flag – and any effort by a religious group to meet the acute needs of the population, are met with hostility by the government, which is increasingly threatening religious leaders who organise such activities with criminal charges.

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Oración, labor social, libertad de expresión: el gobierno cubano no tolerará la verdad

Posted on 02/06/202530/06/2025 by cswpress in Cuba ES, español, Latin America ES

Una iglesia de tamaño mediano, ubicada en una población que enfrenta importantes dificultades económicas y sociales, organiza un servicio de oración vespertino entre semana. Los miembros de la iglesia asisten y participan en una serie de momentos estructurados de oración. A veces oran en silencio, otras veces el pastor los guía en la oración, en una sesión se reúnen alrededor de la bandera nacional para orar por las necesidades que enfrentan las personas en su comunidad y en su país. Sus oraciones hablan de necesidades fundamentales: alimentos, medicinas, la reducción de la delincuencia y la provisión de servicios básicos para todos.

En otra parte del país, un pastor de una iglesia toma medidas para cubrir una necesidad específica en su comunidad, que también atraviesa dificultades. Junto con los líderes de la iglesia, coordina una colecta general para cubrir las necesidades. Los miembros de la iglesia, y muchos en la comunidad en general, se unen al esfuerzo y juntos logran reunir paquetes de artículos esenciales para entregar a los más necesitados.

Ninguno de estos escenarios llamaría tanto la atención en la mayor parte del mundo. Quienes no comparten la fe de los involucrados podrían considerar algunas prácticas un tanto extrañas, pero no perjudiciales. Sin embargo, no es así en Cuba, donde el simple acto de orar por el país, especialmente junto con el uso de la bandera nacional, y cualquier esfuerzo de un grupo religioso por satisfacer las necesidades urgentes de la población, enfrentan la hostilidad del gobierno, que amenaza cada vez más con cargos penales a los líderes religiosos que organizan tales actividades.

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Pakistan must be made to end its decades-long tolerance and encouragement of the violent persecution of the Ahmadiyya community

Posted on 29/05/2025 by cswpress in Asia, Pakistan

At 2.30pm on 16 May, Dr Sheikh Mahmood arrived at Fatima Hospital in Sargodha, Punjab Province, Pakistan and proceeded to attend to his patients as per his routine. A highly respected gastroenterologist and hepatologist, Dr Mahmood was widely known for his dedication, professional excellence and compassionate nature.

But on this day – as he walked through the corridor of the hospital that he had worked in for the past seven years – an unidentified gunman opened fire on him from behind before fleeing the scene while openly brandishing a pistol. He sustained two gunshot wounds and was immediately transferred to Civil Hospital Sargodha, where he succumbed to his injuries. He leaves behind a mother, wife, two daughters and two sons.

Dr Mahmood, 58, had no known personal enmities and Sargodha police have yet to confirm the motive behind the killing, however recent developments in Pakistan give much and highly-concerning reason to believe that he was likely targeted because of his faith – that is, because he was an Ahmadi Muslim.

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