Two South Sudanese pastors freed from jail in Sudan this week have been prevented from leaving the country due to a travel ban, according to religious freedom advocacy Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
The UK-based organisation said Rev Yat Michael and Rev Peter Reith had been stopped at Khartoum Airport on 6th August and informed a travel ban issued against them in March was still in force. Both men had been released from prison a day earlier for time served.
Lawyers for the two men reportedly lodged an immediate appeal for the ban to be revoked and have been informed a hearing has been set for 9th August. CSW said it was unclear whether the ban had been lodged by the prosecutor’s office or the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and noted that if it was the latter, the appeal process may be longer and more complex.
CSW’s chief executive Mervyn Thomas said the organisation hoped the delay was “down to a bureaucratic oversight and is not an official effort to prolong their suffering”.
“We call for urgent interventions from members of the international community who have been observing the case to ensure the travel ban is lifted and that the clergymen are allowed to resume their normal lives. We also urge Sudanese officials of good will to allow these men to leave and end the ongoing harassment of Christians.”
The two men were released on 5th August after Rev Michael was convicted of “inciting hatred” and Rev Reith of breaching public peace. Rev Michael’s charge reportedly related to a message of encouragement he had delivered to a North Khartoum church in December, 2014, in the face of a government-aided take-over of the congregation”s property while Rev Reith’s related to his submission of a letter from leaders of their denomination, the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SSPEC), inquiring about the whereabouts of Rev Michael.
Imprisoned for more than six months, both had also faced other, more serious charges including spying and blasphemy, some of which could have attracted a death sentence. These were dropped.