Human Rights Court: "Turkey discriminates in its tretment of minority religions"

A welcome decision from the EU. Turkey's treatment of Alevi members is against human rights.

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"Behind the Lines: Turkey's Syrian Kurdish Problem" - Jerusalem Post

As Kurdish forces gain ground in northern Syria, Ankara threatens intervention, fearing the formation of a contiguous de facto state.

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"Pastors on Death Row in Khartoum, Sudan"

Two Christian pastors have been arrested for preaching in Sudan. Now, they face the death penalty for professing their Christian faith.

 

Pastors Yat Michael and Peter Yein Reith were arrested in December 2014 after Michael and his family returned to Khartoum to seek medical attention. While in the city, Pastor Michael delivered a sermon at the local Presbyterian Evangelical Church, which had been nearly destroyed by authorities earlier that month. Immediately after his sermon, he was arrested on trumped up charges of sedition and spying.

Pastor Reith spoke out against the unjust arrest of Pastor Michael, and was soon arrested himself. 

 

The South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (the church in which Michael and Reith are ordained) told media outlets that: "This is not 'something new' for our church. Almost all pastors have gone to jail under the government of Sudan. We have been stoned and beaten. This is their habit to pull down the church. We are not surprised. This is the way they deal with the church."

Michael is married with two children, a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old, and Reith is married and has a 1-year-old daughter. Reith is in charge of an orphanage in South Sudan.

 Pastors Michael and Reith have been moved to a high security prison and have not been allowed any visitors. They are now in more danger than ever...

 

During a hearing on June 15th, the government's prosecutors only brought forth one witness, who provided no evidence against the pastors... only unfounded accusations. On the 18th, the government brought forward three more witnesses... and the same thing happened! So far, there is no evidence against the pastors, just slanderous "witnesses."

The investigator in the case, Mohamed Khair Ibrahim, told the court that one of the pastors managed an organization working to distort the image of Sudan by sending reports "hostile to the country" so that the information would be used in human rights reports.

The investigator also accused the pastors of harboring hostile views toward Sudan's leader Omar Al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

 

Pastor Reith has asked us to pray that his suffering will "be for the glory of God" in the prison.
 

Syria: Increased Conflict Endangers Allepo and other Northern Cities

While events on the regional diplomatic scene are moving rapidly, there is renewed momentum to draw the outlines of a final endgame in Syria. This momentum is boosted by the imminent historic agreement on Iran's nuclear program, which if concluded will convince the world that Iran can negotiate in good faith, and the Iranians can become key partners in working out solutions to the region's other pressing issues, the war on the Islamic State (IS) and the Syrian conflict.
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The United Nations is seeking a solution for the ongoing destruction of life in Aleppo. Read more.

The topic of arming Syria's rebels is back in focus. Here's why it's such a dangerous idea.
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