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Afghanistan: SNI Trial Adjourned IndefinitelyDear Friends, Please continue to pray for the eight foreign Shelter Now International (SNI) staff and the 51 Afghan aid workers currently detained in Afghanistan. The Associated Press reported that due to the US-led air strikes Afghanistan's supreme court is no longer able to hold regular sessions and the trial of the eight foreign Christians has been postponed indefinitely. Georg Taubmann (the director of Shelter Now Germany), Margrit Stebner (German), Katy Jelinek (German), Silke Duerrkopf (German), Peter Bunch (Australian), Diana Thomas (Australian), Heather Mercer (American) and Dana Curry (American) were arrested on August 3, after being accused of proselytizing. In a fax message sent earlier this month, Georg Taubmann wrote: "God is in control of this whole situation, and despite all that is going on, we have a deep peace and have put our trust in Him." Background and UpdateArrested nearly 3 months ago, the expatriate relief workers are accused of preaching Christianity among Afghan Muslims. Over 50 Afghan aid workers have also been jailed on suspicion of complicity in the foreigners' alleged missionary activities. Shelter Now Germany's Director, Georg Taubmann, denied the charges before the court and maintained they had not converted any Afghan to Christianity. According to one source in Islamabad, the eight Christians have apparently been tried individually, rather than as a group. Three of the women and Georg Taubmann appeared to be implicated in the more serious charges. Under the Taliban's strict interpretation of Islamic law, the penalty for both proselytizing and apostasy (conversion from Islam to another religion) is the death sentence. But the Taliban's reclusive Supreme Leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, reportedly decreed a separate code of conduct for foreigners earlier this year, allowing deportation in place of execution. It is unclear what penalty the eight foreigners could face if they were found guilty. Mullah Mohammad Omar is expected to have the last word on the punishment. As the bombing raids over Afghanistan have intensified, the Taliban has begun transferring the eight foreigners from their daytime detention facilities to a different quarter every night. The new location is described as more like a "dungeon". The new arrangement is less comfortable, requiring them to sit "at close quarters" from six o'clock every evening until late morning the next day. Before the hearing was adjourned, defence lawyer Atif Ali Khan was able to go over the defence at length with the eight detainees. A written defence was filed with the court on 14 October. The 26-year-old Pakistani lawyer, who holds a degree in Islamic law from Pakistan and a master's degree in international law from a US University, maintained that the video cassette, Christian CD, and some Bibles seized by the Taliban are not conclusive evidence of guilt. "There is a valid explanation to that, and we are sticking to this." Before leaving Kabul on Tuesday 23 October, the lawyer had another lengthy meeting with the detainees. Khan confirmed that all eight were allowed to speak to their families by telephone before the military strike disabled the telecommunication network. On each of his three visits into Afghanistan, Khan was permitted to deliver clothing, medicine and letters to the detainees from their families. CHRISTIAN SOLIDARITY WORLDWIDE PO Box 99, New Malden, Surrey KT3 3YF Tel.: +44 (0)20 8942 8810 Fax: +44 (0)20 9842 8821 |
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