ICC Note: With the trial date approaching on June 15 for two South Sudanese pastors on trial for preaching Christ in Sudan, authorities have moved them to a high-security prison where their family is not permitted to visit them. The last time family members were able to visit Yat Michael and Peter Reith was on June 3, and shortly after, the Sudanese security service moved them from low-security Omdurman Men’s Prison to high-security Kober Prison. The men had already been detained for months beginning in December and January without being able to see their families, so the transfer brings more distress.
By Carey Lodge
6/9/15 Khartoum, Sudan (Christian Today) – Two South Sudanese pastors facing criminal charges in Sudan have been moved to a high security prison and have not been allowed any visitors, their lawyers have confirmed.
Rev Yat Michael and Rev Peter Reith were previously detained at the low security Omdurman Men’s Prison, and were last seen by their relatives and pastors from their church on June 3. When their families returned on June 4, they were refused access, and authorities confirmed two days later that the men were now at Kober Prison in North Khartoum.
According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), no one has been allowed to visit either Michael or Reith and there is speculation that the lockdown is on the orders of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS).
Michael was arrested on 14 December 2014, and Reith in January of this year. They were both detained without charges, and without access to a lawyer or their families, until March 1. They are now being held on six charges including espionage, “offending Islamic beliefs” and undermining the constitutional system. Two of the charges carry the death penalty or life imprisonment.
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