arrest – Page 3 – FoRB in Full

Twenty years is too long: The Eritrean government must release imprisoned church leaders

Posted on 23/05/2024 by cswpress in Eritrea, Sub-Saharan Africa

Twenty years ago today the Eritrean authorities arrested Reverend Haile Naizge and Dr Kuflu Gebremeskel. Both were prominent religious leaders in the country, the former serving as the chair of the Full Gospel Church, and the latter as chair of the Eritrean Evangelical Alliance and a visiting lecturer at the former University of Asmara.

They have been detained incommunicado ever since.

The arrests of Reverend Naizge and Dr Gebremeskel are not the only anniversaries Eritrea marks this month. In May 2002 the government effectively outlawed religious practices not affiliated with Sunni Islam or the Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran or Orthodox Christian denominations. Since then, all other religious groups have been required to register in order to freely practise their faith, but the process to do this is onerous, intrusive and ultimately inconclusive, as the final step consists of the president’s signature.

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A life of struggle and survival: the reality of religious oppression in Cuba

Posted on 01/02/2024 by cswpress in Cuba, Latin America

Father Alberto Reyes Pías is a Roman Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Camagüey, Cuba. He is one of the most articulate voices on freedom of religion or belief in Cuba and continues to courageously speak out about the Cuban government’s systematic violations of this right. This is a transcript of a presentation he gave as part of a panel discussion moderated by CSW, at the 2024 International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, DC.

In Cuba, one of the most subtle mechanisms of evil is what we call “normalisation” which is nothing more than evil becoming a habitual part of our life. We not only take its presence for granted, but also focus our energies not on eliminating it and freeing ourselves from it, but on figuring out how to continue walking, despite it hindering our steps, tying our hands, and oppressing our throat.

In appearance, religious freedom is respected in Cuba. In general, churches are open, worship is allowed, catechesis exists, young people gather, one can openly talk about God, possess a Bible, and wear religious symbols. Yet, in Cuba, there is a thirst for God. Pastoral agents focus on serving those seeking an experience with God that touches their lives, even at the cost of accepting as “normal” what is not.

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Una vida de lucha y supervivencia: la realidad de opresión religiosa en Cuba

Posted on 01/02/2024 by cswpress in Cuba ES, español, Latin America ES

Padre Alberto Reyes Pías es un sacerdote católico romano en la Arquidiócesis de Camagüey, Cuba. Es una de las voces más articuladas sobre la libertad de religión o de creencias en Cuba y continúa denunciando con valentía las violaciones sistemáticas de este derecho por parte del gobierno cubano. Esta es una transcripción de una presentación que hizo como parte de un panel de discusión moderado por la CSW, en la Cumbre Internacional de Libertad Religiosa de 2024 en Washington, DC.

Uno de los más sutiles mecanismos del mal es lo que llamamos “la normalización”, que no es otra cosa que el mal convertido en parte habitual de la vida, de modo que no sólo damos por hecho su presencia sino que enfocamos nuestras energías no en eliminarlo y liberarnos de él sino en ver cómo podemos seguir caminando a pesar de que nos traba los pies, nos ata las manos y nos oprime la garganta.

Aparentemente, en Cuba se respeta la libertad religiosa: las iglesias están abiertas, los cultos son permitidos, las catequesis existen, los jóvenes se reúnen, se puede hablar abiertamente de Dios, poseer una Biblia, portar signos religiosos… Y como en este momento en Cuba hay tanta sed de Dios, los agentes de pastoral nos enfocamos en atender a toda esa gente que viene buscando una experiencia de Dios que toque su vida, pero al precio de asumir como “normal” lo que no lo es.

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Fang Bin with his wife and son in an undated photo.

A family shattered for 24 years – the story of Falun Gong activist Fang Bin

Posted on 05/10/2023 by cswpress in Asia, China

Crowded hospital halls, frantic doctors and nurses in protective suits, patients lying in the corridors, body bags piled up in a funeral van outside a hospital… In early February 2020, 57-year-old businessman Fang Bin drove around Wuhan and documented what he saw in five hospitals. The short videos he posted on social media gave a rare glimpse into what was happening in the epicentre of the pandemic under lockdown.

Mr Fang was detained by police briefly on 1 February 2020. In the next few days, he became more outspoken. Videos were widely shared on social media in which he commented that ‘tyranny lies at the root of this virus’. Then, on 9 February 2020, he vanished after calling ‘all citizens to resist’ tyranny and the government to ‘return the power to the people’ on YouTube, a platform banned in China.

The disappearances of Fang Bin, Zhang Zhan and at least two other citizen journalists drew the attention of world media. Although Mr Fang and his wife are known to the authorities as veteran Falun Gong activists, people who are familiar with him hesitated in mentioning his faith background when calling for his release. They may have been conscious of the social stigma attached to this belief group in China, or feared that he might be jailed not for his online speech but for his faith, or even that he might face mistreatment for it in police custody.

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一个破碎了24年的家庭——法轮功维权人士方斌的故事

Posted on 05/10/2023 by cswpress in Asia CN, China CN, chinese

拥挤的医院大厅、奔忙的穿戴全身防护的医护人员、躺在走廊里的病人、堆放在医院外殡葬车上的尸袋……2020 年 2 月初，57 岁的商人方斌驾车在武汉市内转悠，记录下了他在五家医院的所见所闻。他在社交媒体上发布的短视频让人们难得一见地看到疫情中心地带发生的一切。

2020 年 2 月 1 日，方斌被警方短暂拘留。获释后，他变得更加敢言。在社交媒体上广泛传播的视频中，他直言不讳地说：“病毒的根源是暴政！” 几天后，2 月 9 日，他在 YouTube（一个在中国被禁止的社交媒体平台）上呼吁“全民反抗”、要求当局“还政于民”后消失。

方斌、张展和另外至少两名公民记者的先后失踪引起了全世界媒体的关注。尽管当局知道方斌及其妻子是资深法轮功维权人士，但很多熟悉的朋友在呼吁释放方斌时，选择不提他的信仰背景。他们可能意识到中国社会仍对法轮功这一信仰团体存在某种歧视，或者担心当局对方斌抓捕判刑可能不基于其网络言论而基于其信仰，他甚至可能因之遭到当局酷刑。

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