On May 11, 2017, Abdumonem Abdumawla and Reverend Hassan Abdelrahim Tawor of Sudan received a presidential pardon and were released from prison. We praise God for their release, and we thank you for your faithful prayers in this process.
The release of these two men finishes out a long standing case involving four Christians who were arrested and given charges pertaining to threatening the state of Sudan. The other two men, Rev. Kuwa Shamal Abazmam Kurri and Mr. Petr Jasek (from the Czech Republic, Voice of the Martyrs) were previously released.
Ali Omer, a student from Darfur and convert from Islam, was injured in a student demonstration in 2013. The four men were involved in assisting Omer in his recovery leading to their arrests. Arrests were made in December 2015.
Rev. Shamal was released on January 2, 2017 due to lack of evidence against him, but the judge decided to continue the trial for the three others. On January 29th, Mr. Jasek was sentenced to over 20 years in prison for espionage, among other smaller charges. Rev. Taour and Mr. Abdumawla were both given over ten years for assisting espionage.
In February, the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs visited Sudan and Mr. Jasek received a presidential pardon on February 26, and returned to the Czech Republic. International advocacy continued for Mr. Abdumawla and Rev. Taour, and today we have received news of their release.
Again, thank you for your prayers and continued support of our advocacy efforts. Please continue to pray for these men, and other Christians living in Sudan.