Petition to: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Petition to: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Missionary wrongly imprisoned in Sudan - Sign here
0500,000
237,702
237,702 people have signed. Help us reach 500,000 signatures.
UPDATE 11/17/16 -- I have good news: Petr Jasek is still alive! But the fight for his life is not over...
Petr’s trial last Monday was cut short and has been suspended until this Monday. Help
us use the next few days to pressure the Sudanese government to release
him. We succeeded in getting Meriam Ibrahim released, and now we must
also succeed with Petr.One of Petr’s missionary friends from the Czech republic, Thomas Zdechovský, recently informed us, “In recent days his (Petr’s) condition deteriorated." Zdechovský went on to describe how "(Petr) is in terrible physical and mental condition. . . . And there all are afraid that the execution will proceed, because in Sudan human life means nothing.”
The media is largely ignoring this terrible situation. It is up to us to bring attention to Petr’s case.
If we don’t act now, Petr could be sentenced to death or forced to stay in deteriorating conditions where his life is at risk. Please join us now by signing and sharing this urgent petition.
Petr’s family has been in touch with us to tell us that they deeply appreciate what we are doing. They are counting on us to continue to work in his defense!
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Petr Jašek, a Czech
humanitarian worker and missionary, went to Sudan to help Christians who
were being persecuted for their faith. Not long after, he became the
persecuted Christian. He has been unjustly imprisoned in Sudan for a year. Now, he is on trial and faces the death penalty.
Please sign this urgent petition demanding Petr Jašek’s liberation.
In November 2015, Petr
Jašek learned about the difficult fate of Sudanese student Ali Omer. At a
rally in 2013, Omer suffered severe burns. That December, Jašek went to Sudan to contribute financially to Ali's treatment and to help other suffering Christians.
Just before he planned
to fly back home to the Czech Republic, on December 10, 2015, members of
the Sudanese secret service in Khartoum took Jašek into custody. For
weeks, nobody heard from him, and his family did not even know if he was
still alive. A Sudanese prosecutor subsequently charged Jašek with
several crimes. The accusations against him resemble a totalitarian
regime: espionage, sedition, subversion of the Republic...
Along with Jasek, three other Sudanese men also face judgement.
The entire process is clearly political; the charges against these men are meant to deter all the regime’s critics. Jašek is the first European who faces such a penalty in Sudan. His imprisonment gives us an opportunity to speak out loudly and collectively against the unjust persecution and imprisonment of all Christians in Sudan.
The Czech government sought
an exemption for Jašek, but they had no success. A month ago, the
European Union issued a request for the immediate release of their
citizens. This petition, therefore, is addressed to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Ambassador of Sudan, the special envoy for religious freedom, and other diplomats.
Jašek’s defense claims that the prosecution has no evidence against him, but that the prospect of a fair trial is not optimistic.
Sudan is a country ruled by a war criminal... President Omar al-Bashir
has been indicted for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes
by the International Criminal Court. Furthermore, the Sudanese
government is grounded in Sharia law. The simple fact that Jašek is a
committed Christian has undeniably aggravated the situation.
But all hope is not lost! Two years ago, with your help, Meriam Ibrahim (a Sudanese Christian woman who had been sentenced to death) was liberated! Political efforts, supported by civic engagement, ensured her freedom.
Now, I must ask you to get
involved in this case as well. Please join us in demanding the immediate
release of Petr Jašek and other Christians from Sudanese prison!
I personally pray that Petr
will be at home in time for Christmas with his family. If you can also
pray for his safe return to his homeland, I'm sure he would be grateful.
As he mentioned in one of his letters from prison: "God has the keys to my cell."
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More information:
- Statement on Petr Jašek’s case: http://www.releaseinternational.org/media/download_gallery/PP_Petr_Jasek-October2016.pdf
- Resolution of the European Union with a request for the immediate release of Petr Jasek:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B8-2016-1067&format=XML&language=EN