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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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Yat Michael Ruot & Peter Yein Reith

The Sudanese government rested its case Thursday in the trial of Pastors Yat Michael Ruot and Peter Yein Reith.  The two Christian pastors from South Sudan face potential death sentences after being arrested in Sudan because they had spoken up for fellow Christians in Sudan. 

The prosecution called its last witness Thursday.  The witness, a National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) expert, offered no new evidence against the pastors.  Similarly, during the duration of the trial, which has been stretched out over a month, none of the prosecution’s witnesses have brought any real evidence to prove that the pastors are guilty of the myriad of charges against them, which range from insulting the Muslim religion and undermining the constitutional system to inciting religious sedition and undermining public order.  Some of these baseless charges even carry the death penalty.

After questioning its last witness, the prosecution closed its case.

At the court on Thursday, the judge allowed the pastors to visit with their wives for 10 minutes as a guard supervised the visit.  However, the wives and attorney are still not permitted to visit with the pastors at Kober Prison in North Khartoum where the pastors were recently moved.

Although authorities at the prison continue to violate international laws by denying the pastors access to their attorney, the pastors are no longer being held in shackles or solitary confinement.  They have been moved into the general prison population, but unfortunately are separated from each other.  This separation has been very discouraging to them as they are no longer able to lean on each other for moral and spiritual support.

The trial is set to continue on July 2nd. At that time the pastors will take the stand so that the judge can question them about the allegations levied against them.  Under Sudanese law, if the judge concludes there is a lack of evidence on all charges, he must dismiss the complaint and discharge the pastors from custody.  If, however, the judge finds sufficient evidence on any or all of the charges levied against them, the defense will put on its case to overcome the presumption of guilt present from the prosecution’s evidence.

As the trial wraps up, Pastors Michael & Peter need our prayers and support more than ever.  If found guilty, they could face execution.  Will you stand with us now in support of our brothers in Christ as they suffer for the sake of the Gospel? 

Sign our petition today to show the international community and the government of Sudan that you join us in the fight for freedom for these two brave pastors.

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ACLJ Staff Writers  //

Oct 30, 2018

The Church is under attack in Sudan, and Christians are being arrested and brutally tortured to the brink of death for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We recently told you about 12 Christian men who were...

ACLJ Staff Writers  //

Oct 22, 2018

The dogged persecution and harassment of Christians in Sudan persists, as 12 men were arrested for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Muslims. For years, the government of the mostly-Muslim Northeastern...

ACLJ Staff Writers  //

Sep 18, 2017

Christian South Sudanese refugee children are denied food in Sudan’s refugee camps unless they recite Islamic prayers. The U.S. Department of State includes three nations on its “State Sponsor of Terrorism”