Members of the Khartoum Bahri Evangelical
Church were arrested twice on 7 July, after protesting against the sale of the
church’s training school.
The first arrests took place on the morning
of 7 July, when security officials arrived at the Sudan Evangelical
Presbyterian Church training school with orders to seize and lock the building.
The school is part of the Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church’s property and is
the subject of a long-running dispute
between the church’s land and buildings committee and an illegally-convened
rival church committee backed by the government, which authorised the seizure. The
school is used by church members for classes and meetings, however, the illegally-convened
committee has prevented access to sections of the school building by issuing a
long-term lease on a part of it to a third party.
On arriving at the premises on 7 July,
security officials told the church members to vacate the building immediately; however,
church members had received no prior notification of the order and questioned
the security officials’ authority to seize the building. The officials summoned
the police to arrest the church members and ten men and a woman were transferred
to Khartoum Bahri Police Station where they were charged with “breaching the public
peace” and “nuisance” under Articles 69 and 77 of the Criminal Code. The group
was released on bail several hours later.
As news of the arrests spread, leaders and
members of the Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church congregation went to the training
school and found the building had been locked by the security officials. In
protest, the group, which included the 11 released on bail, broke the locks and
entered the building. The police returned and arrested 17 people, including six
members on bail and two clergymen. The group was taken to Khartoum Bahri Police
Station, where three people were immediately release upon confirming their
membership of the illegally-convened committee and the remaining 14 were charged
with “breaching the public peace” and “nuisance” under Articles 69 and 77 of
the Criminal Code. Lawyers representing the church secured bail and were
assured the 14 would be released late on 7 July; however they are still
imprisoned.
The incident provides
further evidence of state interference in church affairs. It is believed that
the training school was seized in order to facilitate rental or sale to
investors by the illegally-convened church land and buildings committee, which
in May 2016 was authorised to administrate on behalf of the
denomination by the Ministry of
Religious Endowments and Guidance, the government body responsible for
religious affairs in Sudan. This authorisation was in violation of a court order in favour the church’s legitimate committee, chaired by senior
church member Mr Rafat Obid.
On 8 May, Mr
Rafat Obid was falsely charged with impersonation, forgery and criminal
misappropriation and is currently awaiting trial while on bail. The order for
his arrest came from the Ministry of Guidance and Endowments. In April, the Committee Secretary Pastor
Daniel Weliam had been detained for three days without charge. Earlier, 16 church
leaders and elders were questioned by police.
The recent
arrests occur at a time when the Christian communities in Khartoum and
Omdurman are facing a campaign of repression that appear designed to pressurise
them into leaving the country. In another example of harassment, Reverends Hassan Abdulraheem and Kuwa Shamal remain in the custody of the attorney general
without being formally charged while the prosecutor continues his criminal investigation.
Dr Khataza
Gondwe CSW’s Africa and Middle East Team Leader, said “CSW calls for the
immediate release from police custody of the leaders and members of Khartoum
Bahri Evangelical Church and the dropping of all charges levelled against them. It is unacceptable that they are being
penalised for peacefully protesting the illegal seizure of church-owned
property. The continued refusal by the Ministry of
Religious Endowments and Guidance to recognise the church’s legitimate
land and buildings committee is further indication of an ongoing campaign of harassment
and an unwarranted interference in church affairs. We urge the international
community, in particular the African Union, to hold Sudan to its international
obligations, including its undertakings to promote, respect and protect the
right to freedom of religion or belief and the rights to freedom of association
and assembly, as articulated in articles
8, 10 and 11 of the African Charter on People’s and Human Rights.”