Human Rights Group Launches Petition To Secure their Release  

By Jeremy Reynalds
Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. (ANS) – A human rights group has learned that Yemeni authorities continue to detain Christians who convert from Islam to Christianity.

Yemen is located in the Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia.

In recent news releases, International Christian Concern (ICC) reported on the detention of seven Christians by Yemeni authorities.

In its most recent news release, ICC said that the Associated Press (AP) and Fox News have started to follow the story.

According to the AP, an unidentified Yemeni authority admitted that his country had detained nine Christian converts from Islam between May and August 2008. ICC said in its most recent release it has obtained the names of several of the detained Christians, but for their safety at this time, is unable to reveal their names.

ICC said its sources indicate that the Christians were detained by the Political Security Office, headed by Colonel Ghaleb Al Qamish.

In its news release, ICC said the country’s Political Security Office is infamous for carrying out extrajudicial killings, torture and other forms of human rights violations. ICC reported that the imprisoned Christians are also feared to be experiencing torture and even facing death.

ICC’s President, Jeff King, said in a news release, “The detention of the Yemeni Christians not only violates their human rights but also exposes them for further human rights violations like torture and even extrajudicial killings. Yemeni authorities should fulfill their obligations under international human rights law by releasing the Christians, and respecting the freedom of their citizens to follow the religion of their choice.”

ICC said the organization is calling on those concerned about the plight of the detained Yemeni Christians to pray for their safety and release from detention.

Those concerned can also take part in campaign to win freedom for the detained Yemenis by signing the ICC petition that calls for their release. The petition is addressed to the Yemeni Embassy in the United States. It is available at www.persecution.org/suffering/petitions.php 

ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. For additional information, go to www.persecution.org