Lengthy prison sentences have been handed to three men detained in Sudan since December 2015.
A Czech aid worker, Petr Jašek, 52, was sentenced to 23-and-a-half years after being found guilty of various charges, including spying. He was also fined 100,000 Sudanese pounds (around $15,000) for undertaking NGO work without a permit.
The other two men – a Sudanese church leader, Hassan Taour, and a Darfuri graduate, Abdulmonem Abdumawla – were each sentenced to 12 years, their major "crime" being "aiding and abetting" Jašek in his alleged spying. One of the years was for "spreading rumours that undermine the authority of the state" (even though the legal maximum penalty for this is six months in prison).
Lawyers for the three men plan to lodge appeals within the next two weeks.
Sources told World Watch Monitor that Sunday's verdict was pronounced in the presence of a great number of Christians, who reacted with great shock and sadness. Taour's mother was reportedly so shocked that she fainted and needed to be escorted from the room.
The case against the three men centred around Jašek's support for a Sudanese student injured during a protest in 2013. Jašek was stopped as he attempted to leave Sudan in December 2015 and found in possession of a receipt, detailing his $5,000 contribution to the student, Ali Omer.
Jašek said the money was for Omer's medical costs, but the prosecution alleged that it was a donation to rebel groups in the southern regions of South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur. Both Taour and fellow pastor Kuwa Shamal, who was released earlier this month, are from South Kordofan, while Abdumawla is from Darfur.
Last week, the Sudan government announced a "ceasefire" for another six months in its war against rebel groups in all three regions. However, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North says Sudanese troops have already broken the ceasefire in Blue Nile.
Advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide said: "The case further illustrates the politicization of the criminal justice system by the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), which, under the pretext of investigating national security crimes, has brought charges against members of the political opposition, human rights defenders and leaders of minority religions, as occurred in the case of Reverends Yat Michael and Peter Reith in 2015.
"The verdict comes weeks after the outgoing Obama administration confirmed the lifting of some US financial sanctions imposed on Sudan since 1997. The controversial decision was made in recognition of perceived improvements in Darfur and the two conflict areas, including in humanitarian access."
Sources in the Czech Republic told World Watch Monitor that Sudan is one of the seven countries listed on US President Trump's executive order imposing a travel ban.
They also said that the EU Special Envoy at the European Commission on the Freedom of Religion or Belief, Ján Figeľ, is aware of the verdict. In December, the High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission told a Czech MP that "promoting a conducive environment for civil society and the protection of human rights defenders are key issues in EU relations with Sudan".
Federica Mogherini had said then that there was a ray of hope for Jašek in that she understood "talk of espionage" had been dropped.
Courtesy of World Watch Monitor