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Confronting Religious Persecution at the IRF Summit

Feb. 10Stories That Demand Action:

Last week I spoke on a panel at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Washington, D.C.—a global gathering that brings together advocates, policymakers, and legal experts from around the world who are on the front lines of defending religious freedom. The Summit provides a rare forum to share firsthand experiences, expose ongoing...More

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The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has once again become the site of unspeakable violence , with Christian communities being targeted by terrorists and militant forces. On February 15, over 70 Christians – primarily women, children, and the elderly – were added to the list of victims when they were abducted...More

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Fighting To Free Pastor Cao From Chinese Prison

We continue to use our international resources to press for the release of Pastor John Cao, a U.S. permanent resident being wrongfully imprisoned in China for his Christian faith and humanitarian work.

The 51st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva is about to begin.  One of the agenda items being discussed is the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD).  We took this opportunity to submit a written report regarding the WGAD opinion regarding Pastor Cao.  This is on the heels of theletter we sent to Secretary Blinken reminding him of Pastor Cao’s plight and requesting assistance in bringing him home.

Pastor Cao is a U.S. permanent resident from North Carolina who was living out his faith by peacefully serving the poor in China and Burma (Myanmar) for over two decades. Pastor Cao provided humanitarian aid and established schools for impoverished children, all while sharing the love of Christ.

As we told you:

Pastor Cao conducted his humanitarian work openly and without incident until March of 2017, when he was targeted and arbitrarily arrested as part of China’s crackdown on Christian activities. After a six-month detention, Pastor Cao was unjustly charged and eventually sentenced to seven years in prison. He has served over half of his unjust sentence . . . .

In our written submission to the UNHRC, we reminded the Council that:

Over five years ago, on March 5, 2017, Cao Sanqiang (John), a Chinese citizen, Protestant Pastor, humanitarian worker, and legal permanent resident of the United States of America, was wrongfully detained, arrested, and convicted on false charges. On August 12, 2019, the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) adopted Opinion 35/2019 (China) regarding Pastor Cao’s unlawful detention. They found in favor of Pastor Cao, stating that “[t]he deprivation of liberty of Cao Sanqiang (John Cao), being in contravention of articles 7, 8, 10 and 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is arbitrary and falls within categories II, III and V.” The WGAD further requested that the Government of China “remedy the situation of Mr. Cao without delay” stating that “the appropriate remedy would be to release Mr. Cao immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.”

We highlighted that:

As a charter member of the United Nations, China is obligated to adhere to the principles set forth in the U.N. charter, which require members to “promot[e] and encourag[e] respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to [inter alia] religion”. Moreover, as a signatory of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), China is obligated to act in good faith to protect the rights of its citizens guaranteed and protected by those documents. Those rights include—among other things—the right to freedom of religion, equal protection under the law, freedom of movement, full equality to fair and public hearings, and freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention.

It was apparent to the U.N. WGAD that Pastor Cao has indeed been arbitrarily detained and must be released immediately.  The selective targeting and punishment of Pastor Cao due to his religious beliefs cannot be tolerated. We requested that the Council take action to assist in the safe return of Pastor Cao back home to his family in the United States.

We were able to make this request on behalf of over 312,000 individuals who have signed our petition requesting the release of Pastor Cao.  We continue to be grateful for everyone who signed our petition and added their voice to support this cause.  If you have not already signed our petition, please do so today and consider sharing with others as well.  Pastor Cao deserves justice, and it is well past time for him to be released and returned to his family.

325,446

Signatures

Jordan Sekulow  //

Mar 25, 2024

We are pleased to announce that Pastor John Cao has finally been released from prison in China. He has completed serving a seven-year sentence after being wrongfully convicted for simply living out his...

CeCe Heil  //

Jul 29, 2022

On July 19, 2022, President Biden issued an “ Executive Order on Bolstering Efforts to Bring Hostages and Wrongfully Detained United States Nationals Home .” The order declares that the wrongful detention of...

Olivia Summers  //

Mar 05, 2021

Anniversaries should be the celebrations of good things in life, marking milestones and happy moments, like weddings. But they are not always. March 5, 2021, marks the four-year anniversary of Christian Pastor...