METHODIST CHURCH LEADERS DETAINED IN FIJI

The Methodist Church in Fiji has said that seven of its senior members are being held by police for questioning. All those being held have been involved in discussions about the church’s planned annual conference. Fiji’s military government has already banned the meeting once, accusing the church of being too political and setting conditions for future talks.

The Methodist Church is the largest in Fiji and hopes to hold its annual meeting in August, 2009 regardless. The church had hoped its leaders would have been released after a few hours, Radio New Zealand reported. Instead, police, many of whom are them-selves Methodists, were treating the churchmen well in detention, with afternoon tea and a prayer.

But the interim military-led regime has banned the gathering unless the church hierarchy agrees to exclude two former presidents and remove any political discussion from the agenda.

Fiji is currently ruled by Commodore Frank Bainimarama who took power in a coup in 2006.

Since then Fiji has suspended the constitution, detained opponents and suppressed freedom of speech.

NORTH KOREA ‘EXECUTES’ CHRISTIANS

By Andre Vornic, BBC News

Human rights groups in South Korea say North Korea has ste-pped up executions of Christians, some of them in public.

The communist country, the world’s most closed society, views religion as a major threat. Only the founder of the country, Kim Il-sung, and his son, Kim Jong-il, may be worshipped, in mass public displays of fervour.

Despite the persecutions, it is thought up to 30,000 North Koreans may practise Christianity secretly in their homes.

A report by a number of South Korean groups highlights one particular case of a woman allegedly executed in public last month, in a northern town close to the Chinese border.

She was accused of distributing Bibles, spying for South Korea and the United States and helping to organise dissidents. Her parents, husband, and children were sent to a prison camp.

Such reports are hard to verify, but North Korea is known to be intolerant of religion - it views any form of alternative social organisation as a competitor for its own, religion-like ideology. The US government says just owning a Bible in North Korea may be a cause for torture and disappearance.

Pyongyang’s position appears to have hardened on everything from human rights to defence policy and international relations in the last year or so. It is thought this may be a way to shore up the government through Mr Kim’s illness and the process of anointing his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, as North Korea’s next leader.

CHRISTIAN SHOT EIGHT TIMES FOR REFUSING TO PAY PROTECTION MONEY

WASHINGTON, D.C. (ANS) -- A human rights organization has learned that a Christian business-man was shot eight times in the legs while driving through Lahore, Pakistan after refusing to pay protection money to a Muslim.

According to a news release from Christian human rights organization International Christian Concern (ICC),-Suqlain Shah, a former policeman, and another man, Sudia, stopped Ayub Gill's car at 2:25 p.m. on July 7, as Ayub was going to buy a property in a nearby town.

Ayub's brother Babar was driving and two other relatives were in the back seat. Suqlain pulled out a gun and dragged Babar out of the driver's seat, threatening to kill him.

ICC said Suqlain then got in the driver's seat and shot Ayub eight times in the legs. After stealing $2,500, they fled on bicycles. Ayub is now recovering in the hospital, but the doctors do not know if he will be able to walk again.

ICC said that Suqlain, who lives near Ayub, had threatened him a few days earlier, when Ayub had bought a car for his brother. It was the family's third car.

When Suqlain saw that they had three cars, he approached Ayub and demanded money. ICC reported he said, “You now have three cars, so give me $3,750. You are a wealthy Christian, so it is my right to get as much money as I need from you. If you don't give it to me, I will kill you.”

Immediately following the shooting, Ayub's brothers went to the police station to submit a report, but it was only accepted after five hours of delay and harassment. ICC said that was attributable in part to Suqlain's brother being a constable in the police force. The police have taken no action to prosecute this case.

Mobeena, Ayub's sister, told ICC, “Suqlain is still free and hanging around. The government has done nothing to help us, even though my brother is a prominent businessman. We feel insecure, our children are too scared to go out anymore - please help us, we need justice.”

When ICC contacted the Pakistani embassy in Washington, D.C., embassy officials denied any knowledge of the incident and said, “Pakistani police stations do not ask if someone is Muslim or Christian - they don't discriminate on that basis.”

However, according to ICC sources, police regularly ask religious affiliation for identification even though it is not required on report forms.

ICC asked those interested to contact the Pakistani embassy closest to them and ask for justice for Ayub Gill and his family.

ROCK CHURCH PASTOR AND WIFE SENTENCED TO ONE YEAR OF LABOR CAMP IN HENAN

HENAN, Pastor Dou Shaowen and his wife Feng Lu of Rock (Panshi) Church in Zhengzhou city, Henan, were sentenced to one year of re-education through labor for "engaging in illegal religious activities." Attorney Li Dunyong has traveled to Zhengz-hou city to represent Pastor Dou and Feng Lu for the Administrative Review and Appeal.

While Pastor Dou Shaowen is imprisoned at the labor camp, officials released Feng Lu on the evening of June 25. Authorities have permitted Feng Lu to serve her sentence at home, in order to care for their 12-year-old daughter. She is required to report to the Public Security Bureau regularly, and could be sent to labor camp again if she is found "engaging in illegal religious activities" again.

Pastor Dou Shaowen and his wife Feng Lu were arrested on June 14, when several dozen officials from Zhengzhou Municipal Bureau of Religion and Zhengzhou Munici-pal Bureau of State broke into the church's Sunday worship service. Officials forcibly photographed and videotaped the more than 100 Christians present, cut off the electricity and forced the Christi-ans to leave. Finally, the autho-rities posted sealing tape from the Bureau of Religion, sealing off all the worship areas of Rock Church. Five other Christians, Li Zhemin, Wei Jianhua, Zhang Julin, Ma Jianbo and Li Cuiying were arrested with Pastor Dou and Feng Lu. Each of the five were sentenced to 15 days of administrative detention and were forced to pay a 800-900 yuan fine. i

CHRISTIANS BEATEN, ACCUSED OF FORCIBLE CONVERSION IN KARNATAKA
Bangalore: Four Christians were beaten and accused of forcible conversion by Sangh Pariwar militants at approximately 5:30 p.m. on July 18, 2009 while visiting a housing colony in the western region of the city.

The believers were brought to a police station three hours later. Later that night, they were presented before a magistrate and sent to the Bangalore Central Jail, where they remained at last report.

In an earlier incident, at approximately 10:00 a.m. on July 10, 2009 Hindu militants in the city of Chitradurga barged into a tea stall attended by Sharada, the wife of Pastor Nagaraj, and questioned her about her faith, according to reports.

The militants demanded to know how much money her family received for converting to Christianity and accused her and her husband of forcible conversion. They also threatened to burn her alive. Sharada was dragged to the police station where a complaint was filed against her. Pastor Nagaraj was also summoned to the station and upon his arrival was beaten by the militants while police looked on.

IMPRISONED CHINESE CHRISTIAN ALIMUJIANG YIMITI ON TRIAL
XINJIANG, China, July 26 /Christian Newswire:
The trial for Uyghur Christian prisoner Alimujiang Yimiti began on the morning of July 28. Alimujiang Yimiti has been arbitrarily detained at Kashi Municipal Detention center since January 12, 2008, charged with “revealing state secrets or intelligence to overseas organizations.” However, ChinaAid contacts say the reason for his imprisonment is his Christian faith and witness among the Uyghur people.

The international community is monitoring Alimujiang’s case closely. The UK government, the European Commission, the European Union, the UN, the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Beijing are closely involved in multilateral and bilateral human rights dialogues urging China to act according to international human rights laws that China has signed. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has investigated Alimujiang’s case, and issued Opinion No. 29/2008 on September 12, 2008, stating that Alimujiang Yimiti’s detention for more than one year is arbitrary and that the Chinese government should take the necessary steps to correct the situation.
ChinaAid has been in communication with those close to the case. According to sources, Alimujiang’s wife Guli Nuer was notified on July 14 by the court in Kashgar that the trial for her husband would be held on the morning of July 28. On July 23 (Beijing time) Guli Nuer and their two children traveled to Kashgar in order to attend the trial. However, authorities informed her that neither she nor Alimujiang’s mother will be allowed to attend the trial, which will be held at the Intermediate People’s Court of Kashgar. The only ones permitted to attend the trial are two attorneys who are representing Alimujiang Yimiti, Li Dunyong and Liang Xiaojun.

According to ChinaAid contacts, Guli Nuer was warned by the Xinjiang People’s Procuratorate (Gaoji Jiancha Yuan) in Urumqi that she should not have become involved advocating and speaking out about her husband’s case. Officials also told her that Alimjiang will not be released without charges.

ChinaAid president Bob Fu stated, “Alimujiang is an innocent, law-abiding citizen. He has been a peacemaker between Han Chinese and Uyghurs. He has even been sending his children intentionally to study Mandarin in school, even though they are Uyghurs, in order encourage them to be peacemakers. The recent violent riots in Xinjiang have shown that there is a great need for stability in the region. The Chinese Christians, including the Uyghur Christians in Xinjiang, have never been involved in violent activities in Xinjiang. The Chinese government should show they are seeking stability by releasing Alimujiang Yimiti.”

Another Uyghur Christian, Mr. Wusiman Yiming is also in prison in Xinjiang. He was sentenced to two years of re-education through labor in September 2007 for “revealing state secrets” and “illegal proselytizing.” Sources say that the real reason he was sentenced was because of his boldness as a Christian and a leader in the Uyghur church. Sources report that he has aged dramatically in the labor camp and his health is deteriorating due to harsh conditions.

Bob Fu stated, “We call upon the Chinese government to immediately release Alimujiang Yimiti and Wusiman Yiming, and bring justice to their illegal detentions which are in violation of both international law and China’s own criminal law code.”

CHRISTIAN WOMAN EXECUTED IN NORTH KOREA
Seoul (South Korea): North Korea publicly executed a Christian woman last month for distributing the Bible, which is banned in the communist nation, South Korean activists say.

Ri Hyon Ok, 33, was also accused of spying for South Korea and the United States and organiz-ing dissidents. She was executed in the north-western city of Ryongchon near the border with China on June 16, according to a report from an alliance of several dozen anti-North Korea groups.

Ri’s parents, husband and three children were sent to a political prison camp in the northeastern city of Hoeryong the following day, the report said, citing unidentified documents it says were obtained from North Korea. It showed a copy of Ri’s North Korean government-issued photo ID. It is virtually impossible to verify such reports about secretive North Korea, where the government tightly controls the lives of its citizens and does not allow dissent.

On July 23, 2009, an annual report from a state-run South Korean think tank on human rights in the North said that public executions, though dropping in number in recent years, were still carried out for crimes ranging from murder to circulating foreign movies. North Korea claims to guarantee freedom of religion for its 24 million people but in reality severely restricts religious observances.

The cult of personality surrounding national founder Kim Il Sung and his son, current leader Kim Jong Il, is a virtual state religion. The government has authorized four state churches, one Catholic, two Protestant and one Russian Orthodox, but they cater to foreigners and ordinary North Koreans cannot attend. However, defectors and activists say more than 30,000 North Koreans are believed to practice Christianity secretly.

The U.S. State Department reported last year that “genuine religious freedom does not exist” in North Korea. “North Korea appears to have judged that Christian forces could pose a threat to its regime,” Do Hee-youn, a leading activist, told reporters, claiming public executions, arrest and detention of North Koreans are prevalent. The Investigative Commission On Crime Against Humanity also alleged in its report that in March, North Korean security agents arrested Seo Kum Ok, 30, another Christian, in a city near Ryongchon and tortured her.

The agents alleged she was attempting to spy on a nuclear site and hand over the evidence to South Korea and the U.S. The report said it remains unclear whether she survived. Her husband was also arrested and their two children disappeared, it said. The commission said it was seeking to try to take North Korean leader Kim to the International Criminal Court over alleged crimes against humanity.

Activists claim that such atrocities — including murder, kidnap, rape, extermination of individuals in prison camps — cannot take place in North Korea without Kim’s knowledge or direction as he wields absolute power. “Let’s file a suit against Kim Jong Il to the International Criminal Court,” the activists chanted.