Displaying items by tag: arrests

Friday, 12 May 2023 10:10

Pageantry and protests

The royal family waved at crowds and watched a flypast at Buckingham Palace's balcony after the King and Queen’s coronation that was full of ancient Christian pageantry and symbolism. The 2,200 guests included the Royal Family, celebrities, faith leaders and heads of state. Thousands lined London streets to catch a glimpse of the King and Queen and members of the royal family in coaches and limousines as they went past. Elsewhere 52 members of Republic, the anti-monarchy group, were among those arrested near Trafalgar Square for public order offences, breach of the peace, and conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. Their organisers were arrested earlier that morning when police seized hundreds of placards saying, ‘Not My King’. Human Rights Watch said the coronation arrests were ‘something you would expect to see in Moscow not London’. Christian barrister Paul Diamond said that arresting anti-monarchist protestors before the coronation was an instance of ‘serious lawlessness by the police’.

Published in British Isles
Friday, 12 May 2023 09:28

Iran: executions rise amid unrest

Iran recently hanged two men for blasphemy, saying they had insulted the prophet Muhammad and promoted atheism. They were arrested in 2021 and spent months in solitary confinement without family contact. Iran has executed over 203 prisoners this year, but executions for blasphemy remain rare. The recent spate of executions, including members of ethnic minority groups, comes amid continuing protests over the arrest of Mahsa Amini by Iran’s morality police and her death in their custody. Over 500 people were killed and 19,000 arrested in the protests, which have been one of the biggest challenges to Iran’s theocracy since 1979’s Islamic Revolution. Today public frustration extends beyond repressive dress codes. The economy is in poor shape due to sanctions and Iran’s policy incompetence. Inflation is above 40%, currency is a record low, and unemployment tops 10%. Many believe that these anxieties mean further unrest is unavoidable.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 23 February 2023 21:50

China: demonstrators disappear

As China declares victory over the pandemic, the landmark protests in November which spelled the end for zero-Covid rules have begun fading from memory. But as the country moves on, many who took part in the demonstrations are missing, taken by authorities in a quietly deepening crackdown on dissenters. Thousands rallied against restrictive Covid policies in White Paper protests, holding up blank white sheets in a rare show of criticism of the Communist Party and its leader Xi Jinping. Police made few arrests at the time. Now, months later, scores of those protesters are in police custody, say Chinese activists. International rights groups and foreign universities have called for their release. Activist groups have published lists naming the detainees from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Nanjing protests. Many prisoners are well-educated; some attended universities in the UK and America. They include writers, journalists, a musician, a teacher and a financial industry professional.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 02 February 2023 22:04

Australia: domestic violence

Australia has a huge domestic violence problem and police spend more time responding to that crime than any other. Recently 648 people were charged in a four-day police blitz targeting ‘dangerous’ domestic violence offenders in New South Wales. Some 1,153 charges for domestic violence, drugs and weapons were made during the operation, and an array of illegal items, such as guns, daggers, a sword, metal knuckle dusters, and drugs were seized. During ‘Operation Amarok’ 164 of those charged were among the state's most wanted domestic violence offenders. Some had warrants out for their arrests; others had breached court-issued protection orders. The UN has said violence against women in Australia is ‘disturbingly common’, but experts say it is not notably different from other developed nations. The new strategy of targeting high risk offenders is aimed at stopping violence before it escalates to homicide.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 08 December 2022 21:24

London: Russian oligarchs under investigation

Over fifty officers were involved in an operation at a Russian businessman's multi-million-pound London home to investigate potential criminal activity by oligarchs. They arrested a 58-year-old man on suspicion of money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the Home Office, and conspiracy to commit perjury. He was also charged with obstructing an officer when trying to leave with a bag containing thousands of pounds in cash. Another man who is the former boyfriend of the businessman's current partner was arrested at his home in Pimlico for money laundering and conspiracy to defraud. The National Crime Agency (NCA), which was established this year, is having ‘significant success’ investigating potential criminal activity by oligarchs.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 30 September 2021 22:34

Eritrea: releases of prisoners followed by arrests

A wave of releases of Christian prisoners was not a change in policy, as had been hoped. It has been followed by the arrest of eight Full Gospel Church leaders, and 35 Christians were detained after raids on two prayer meetings. Three of the Full Gospel leaders are pastors in their seventies. Police took Pastor Araya (75) and Pastor Okbamichael (74) from their homes in the middle of the night and placed them in a maximum-security interrogation centre. Pastor Gebreab (72) was sick and placed under house arrest until he recovers enough to be incarcerated. No reason was given for their arrest. Also following the discovery of a list of Christian contacts, fifteen men and women from different churches in Asmara have been re-arrested. Having been imprisoned for their faith for between five and 16 years, they had been released last summer.

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 11 June 2021 09:23

Global: crime sting

It took $120,000, and a reduced prison sentence, for a smartphone developer to collaborate with the FBI and Australian police in 2018 and kick-start Operation Trojan Shield. Three years later, the investigation involving 9,000 law enforcement officers from 17 countries saw authorities monitor 27 million messages from 12,000 devices in 100 countries and track the activities of over 300 organised crime groups. To date, there have been over 800 arrests and over eight tons of cocaine seized, 22 tons of cannabis, two tons of synthetic drugs, 250 guns, 55 luxury vehicles, and over $48 million. More arrests and seizures are expected. The ‘confidential human source’ had created a new hardened encrypted phone with a bespoke app called ANOM to organise drug deals and hits on rivals, and launder illicit earnings without detection. However, the criminals did not realise that all their messages were being monitored.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 18 February 2021 20:14

Myanmar: army promises new elections amid protests

The military held its first news conference since toppling the government. They said the armed forces would not remain in power for long, and would ‘hand power back to the winning party’ following another election. On 18 February the military ordered more arrests, and civil servants went on strike. Large numbers have protested for 16 days. ‘It is incredible to witness that our people are unified. People’s power must return to the people,’ actor Lu Min wrote on Facebook. Many of the country’s lawyers have joined the Red Ribbon Campaign calling for the restoration of democracy in the country. The Defend Lawyers website reported that forty barristers could face prosecution for participating in the anti-coup movement. Doctors Without Borders are ‘gravely concerned’ about the recent arrests and detentions of health care workers and other civilians. The situation has the potential to severely interrupt the lifesaving healthcare that they and others have been providing to the most vulnerable people in the country, particularly in the time of the Covid pandemic.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 24 September 2020 21:35

15 rescued from sexual exploitation, five arrested

Praise God for a rescue last week that resulted in the arrest of 5 suspects and the rescue of 15 victims from online sexual exploitation. This rescue was the result of close collaboration between Philippine authorities, Australian law enforcement, and IJM. Pray for the survivors as they receive care and for continued strong collaboration efforts with international law enforcement. Read more on the story here

Published in Praise Reports

Chinese Christians in Anhui are said to be ‘outraged’ after their state-registered megachurch was demolished and their pastors arrested.

Demolition work (pictured) began at Funan County Christian Church on Friday, partway through a worship service. (More information and short video clip of the demolition here.)

Elderly church members knelt down in front of the church, begging officials not to destroy the building, says Release partner ChinaAid. Several fainted and required hospital treatment.

Pastors Geng Yimin and Sun Yongyao were arrested the next day on suspicion of ‘gathering a crowd to disturb social order’. Their church could seat up to 3,000 people.

ChinaAid Director Bob Fu says believers are ‘outraged’.

‘The Chinese Government is now ordering believers to worship in a remote endangered building which can only host a few hundred people,’ he said. Yet, ChinaAid says many Christians, including those in Funan, are too afraid to speak out for fear of more persecution.

Pray: that God will bless His people in Funan and provide a new building for them. Pray that they will grow in unity and faith through this ordeal.

Pray: for the immediate release without charge of Funan pastors Geng Yimin and Sun Yongyao. Ask God to comfort those who were distressed by the demolition.

Praise: God that Christianity is growing fast in China, despite intense persecution. Sources quoted by ChinaAid estimate that there are now more than 100 million Christians in China.

(Source: China Aid)

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