Two South Sudanese pastors facing trial for espionage in Sudan have been freed.
Rev Yat Michael and Rev Peter Reith (also named as David Yein Reith in some reports) were being held on six charges including espionage, “offending Islamic beliefs”, promoting hatred amongst sects and undermining the constitutional system. If found guilty, they could have faced the death penalty or life imprisonment.
Michael was arrested on December 14, 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. Ahead of their hearings, they were consistently denied access to their legal team, despite guarantees under Sudanese law.
During the final hearing in Khartoum, the defence team presented two witnesses. Ex-army general and 2010 presidential candidate Abdul Aziz Khalid testified that the charges of security and espionage were without basis, and told the court that evidence presented by the prosecution was available to the public. Both Michael and Reith maintained their innocence.
The pastors’ situation prompted international calls for their release from human rights groups including Amnesty International. CSW branded the charges “unwarranted and extreme” and accused Sudanese authorities of violating fair trial principles and “making a mockery of the judicial process”.
Source: Christianity Today
