Day: July 1, 2009

Egypt: Sharia Law Used to Prevent Rights of Christians

— ANS report: “Egypt: impunity fuels persecution”
— “the Egyptian government has been appeasing Muslim fundamentalists by settling matters of sectarian conflict out of court in line with Islamic Sharia law”
— “That prohibits Christians from bringing evidence against Muslims”
— “The government brokers ‘reconciliation’ sessions where the Christians are forced to drop all the charges they are making (arson, looting, assault, kidnap, robbery, criminal damage, rioting, torture, rape, murder) in exchange for Muslim guarantees of ‘peace’.”
— ANS report describes “most recent clash occurred in the village of Ezbet Boshra-East, El-Fashn” resulting in harrassment and violence against Christians

Iran Reports – July 1, 2009

Iran election: faces of the dead and detained
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2009/jun/29/iran-election-dead-detained

Iran militia wants probe of opposition leader
http://www.ktnv.com/global/story.asp?s=10623958
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=3.0.3491729668

(Iran) Mir-Hossein Mousavi calls Iran election illegitimate in renewed defiance of ayatollah
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/5711930/Mir-Hossein-Mousavi-calls-Iran-election-illegitimate-in-renewed-defiance-of-ayatollah.html

(Iran) Opposition leaders court arrest by defying Ahmadinejad
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6618756.ece

Iran reform leader calls election illegitimate
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090701/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_election_615
— Reformists question legitimacy of Iran’s government
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/07/01/iran.election/index.html

Iranian Government Says Neda Soltan’s Murder Was ‘Staged’
— “according to Iran’s Press TV, police chief Esmaeil Ahmadi-Moqadam declared Wednesday that the shooting was a ‘prearranged scenario’ — a ‘premeditated act of murder’ that could not have been committed by Iranian police.”
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529780,00.html

‘This Iranian Form of Theocracy Has Failed’ — Iranian theologian and philosopher Mohsen Kadivar
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,633517,00.html

Iranian Majlis Member Ghodratollah Alikhani in Majlis: The People’s Trust in This Country’s Regime and Leaders Has Been Fractured
http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD242709

(Iran) UK: More Tehran embassy staff freed
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25721523-23109,00.html

‘EU might pull ambassadors from Iran’
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443695255&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Communist China: Chinese Pastor And Wife Sentenced To One Year Labor Camp

Communist China: Chinese Pastor And Wife Sentenced To One Year Labor Camp
— “Advocacy group China Aid Association (CAA) told BosNewsLife that Pastor Dou Shaowen and his wife Feng Lu of Rock (Panshi) Church in Zhengzhou city of  Henan province were sentenced to a labor camp”
— for “engaging in illegal religious activities”

Communist China Releases House Church Leaders, Christians

China Releases House Church Leaders, Christians
— “Among them were all 18 house church leaders detained in Langzhong city of Sichuan province on June 9. They were ‘released due to pressure from many supporters who called’ the Public Security Bureau (PSB) one of China’s main law enforcement agencies, said China Aid Association (CAA), a major advocacy group.”
— “More than a dozen house church leaders and Christians in two Chinese provinces were free Tuesday, June 30, after they were released by authorities from detention amid international pressure, Chinese Christians said”
— “They were reportedly detained June 9 when security forces raided a meeting of some 30 house church leaders in the Langzhong city of Pastor Li Ming. Police released 12 leaders the same day, but detained 18 others, Christians said.”
— “Elsewhere three detained house church leaders of Taochuan Village Christian Church in Shaanxi province were released after serving detention for ‘engaging in ‘illegal religious activities,’ CAA said.”

Sexual Violence Research Initiative Forum 2009: Coordinated Evidence-Based Responses to End Sexual Violence

Sexual Violence Research Initiative Forum 2009: Coordinated Evidence-Based Responses to End Sexual Violence
— “The Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) is hosting SVRI Forum 2009: Coordinated Evidence-Based Responses to End Sexual Violence in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 6-9 July 2009.”
— “Sponsored by: The Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI)”

— Event Web Page