Advertisement

Christian Entity Concerned about Criminal Prosecution of Sudanese Converts to Christianity

Credit: CSW

The criminal prosecution of four Sudanese men who converted from Islam to Christianity is an issue of concern to the leadership of the UK-based human rights foundation, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

The case of Badar Haroun Abdul-Jabbar, Mohamed Haroun Abdul-Jabbar, Tariq Aref Abdallah, and Mortada Ismael who were charged with apostasy has been transferred to the criminal court, with the first hearing scheduled to take place on August 30.

The four men were initially arrested on 24 June 2022 in Zalingei, Central Darfur. They were set free after being questioned by the police about their religious identity.

The Sudanese men were detained again four days later. On July 3, they were brought before the prosecutor who allegedly told them to renounce Christianity or face the death penalty. They were charged with apostasy after refusing to renounce their faith and set free on bail. 

In a Friday, August 19 report, CSW Founder President says officials of the human rights organization are “deeply concerned by the charges leveled against these men and by the decision to transfer this case to the criminal court.”

Advertisement

Mr. Mervyn Thomas says the “public nature of the hearing will further endanger the lives of four men who have already had to flee their home due to violence by religious extremist.”

“The decriminalization of apostasy was one of the limited positive steps undertaken by the transitional authorities prior to the 2021 coup d' état,” Mr. Mervyn says in the August 19 report. 

He adds, “It is unclear on what legal grounds these charges have been logged; however, it is indicative of the regressive steps taken on freedom of religion or belief, and emblematic of the worsening situation of human rights in Sudan in the aftermath of the coup.” 

The CSW official is calling for “an immediate cancellation of the charges against this group and an urgent review of the leveling of apostasy charges by law enforcement and prosecutors since its decriminalization.”

“We call on the international community to urgently raise these cases directly with Sudan’s military leaders at all opportunities,” the Founder President of CSW is quoted as saying in the August 19 report.

More in Africa

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.