Clarification about the Martyrs from Turkey – May 1
May 1, 2007 / Comments Offon Clarification about the Martyrs from Turkey – May 1https://blogs.bible.org/clarification-about-the-martyrs-from-turkey-may-1/
International Monitoring in Turkey Christians are meat for swine
Here is the latest from Turkey on details about the massacre which have been verified as exaggerated. This report comes from some people closest to the events who examined the bodies and want accuracy in the reporting. They want to get the correct story out and give their take on what is taking place. Here is the report with names removed (and the description brother placed in its place), except for the victims.
https://blogs.bible.org/clarification-about-the-martyrs-from-turkey-may-1/
Here is the latest from Turkey on details about the massacre which have been verified as exaggerated. This report comes from some people closest to the events who examined the bodies and want accuracy in the reporting. They want to get the correct story out and give their take on what is taking place. Here is the report with names removed (and the description brother placed in its place), except for the victims.
https://blogs.bible.org/clarification-about-the-martyrs-from-turkey-may-1/
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Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet you in the peace and love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May the Lord abundantly bless you, your families, your churches, and your work.
We know and appreciate very much your heart for us.
Brothers and sisters, in the last ten days we have experienced very painful moments, which words cannot begin to express. Our painful experience has shown us that our lives are as the Lord describes: "What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." For this reason we have understood one more time how holy and close to the Lord we should live our lives.
We have also understood that our society is easily given to emotion and that in such painful moments some people, whether intentionally or not, report certain events inaccurately and we have not prevented this or have not been able to do so.
When the Malatya massacre happened we, the brothers from Diyarbakir, besides those already on the scene at the time of the crime, were the first to get there. When we got to Malatya our brother Ugur was still alive, but his condition was critical. Around 5:30 PM Ugur entrusted his spirit to the Lord.
Dear brothers and sisters, that painful moment has slowly come into perspective for us so that now we have begun to see some things as we should. For example, it appears that those who murdered or arranged for the murder of these brothers are getting what they hoped for. By means of our reactions we may unwittingly help them. If we do not bring the facts into the light, these people will end up getting what they desired.
https://blogs.bible.org/clarification-about-the-martyrs-from-turkey-may-1/
Brothers Tilmann, Necati, and Ugur were murdered in a bloodthirsty way. This is a fact. But there are also some inaccurate claims about this massacre and one of these is the extent of the torture. According to rumors brother Tilmann was stabbed with a knife 156 times. Brother Ugur had countless knife wounds, it has been said. These rumors, however, are unfounded. At the morgue we wanted to put brother Tilmann's body, which was in a plastic bag, into the coffin, but the officials and police did not like this. "It is sinful to do it this way, we should wrap the corpse in a shroud," they said. I accepted this idea and did what was right in their eyes. I asked them for a shroud (white cloth) and the officials moved Tilmann's body out of the plastic bag, which they placed to the side. I took advantage of this opportunity to examine brother Tilmann's body as far down as his stomach. I did not see any knife wounds. Only Tilmann's throat had been slit 8-10 centimeters and there was the stitched autopsy incision down the middle of Tilmann's chest. Unfortunately there are very different rumors circulating about brothers Tilmann and Necati. It has been said that their noses, lips, and ears were cut. These rumors do not reflect the truth. I telephoned our brother in Adana because I knew he had seen brother Tilmann's body. I asked him about the knife wounds on brother Tilmann's body. My brother said to me, "Brother, I came across three or four knife blows in the chest area. I didn't see his back. On his face I can't say there were knife wounds, but scratches, maybe from hitting his face when he fell down." I knew that a brother from Ankara had seen bodies. I asked him which bodies he had seen and he said, "I saw the chest area of both Tilmann and Necati. I saw purple [from bruising] on Necati's lips and chin, but I did not see knife wounds. I looked at brother Tilmann's chest, but I did not see knife wounds." These are the statements of those you saw the bodies of these two brothers.
It is true that our brothers were knifed and tortured. But it was not to the extent of statements such as "too many wounds to count, beyond description." Apparently one brother looked more carefully than we did. He saw three or four knife wounds in the chest.
No one saw brother Ugur's body because on the night of the same day the murder happened, around midnight, his family took his body for burial.
I believe that brother Ugur had knife wounds similar to those of our other two brothers. It has been said that Ugur was stabbed all over his body, including his genitals. I do not believe this. You may ask why I don't beleive this. I think someone stabbed this much would die on the spot. Ugur would not have been able to remain alive until 5:30 PM if he had been stabbed so much. That nothing abnormal happened to Ugur can be understood [from the fact that] exaggerated statements have been about our other two brothers, too.
Therefore we reach the following conclusion: yes, these brothers were tortured, but not to the extent that has been explained.
We are sons and daughters of the truth. Unfortunately unfounded news reports and media exaggerations have now gone out all over the world. Our brothers and sisters and people sensitive [to such news] have been misinformed. We do not intend to offend anyone. But whether the true facts are, let us report them without exaggeration. Let people everywhere think about the plain facts.
Who started these exaggerated facts [about the Malatya massacre]? We purpose two possibilities:
1) Those who perpetrated the crime planned this [the spreading of exaggerated facts] from the beginning and the murderers were simply tools for these people [who had planned to blow the murder into exaggerated proportions]. The goal of those who planned this murder and the exaggerated claims was both to frighten the Christians living in Turkey, causing them to shrink back and be timid, and to humiliate Turkey as a country that invites and causes such bloodthirty massacre, thereby damaging Turkey's chances of entering the European Union and making matters worse in the country. Furthermore, [the planners of this massacre] wanted to give the government and our people the impression that Christians distort and exaggerate everything.
2) In every situation we see that the media either totally disregards something we say or totally exploits it. We investigated the bloody clothing that was submitted to the public as the underclothing of our brothers. None of this clothing belonged to our brothers. That clothing had been taken off the bodies of people shot to death weeks earlier. But what did the media do? They took this clothing and presented it as freshly removed from the bodies of our brothers. Is there anyone who does not yet know about the exaggerations and sometimes boldfaced lies of the media?
Therefore, brothers and sisters, if we do not explain the true facts to you our hearts will not find peace. I have written this report because I have read exaggerated or unfounded facts in news both home and abroad. The true facts are those in this report. Before sending these facts to you, as you will see below, I have requested statements from our brothers. I have had these statments translated to English in order to pass them on to you.
https://blogs.bible.org/clarification-about-the-martyrs-from-turkey-may-1/
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https://blogs.bible.org/martyrs-murder-trial-in-turkey-nov-6/
Martyrs' Murder Trial in Turkey Nov 6
November 6, 2007 /
Il processo contro coloro che hanno ucciso tre missionari nella Turchia orientale all'inizio dell'anno si sta preparando per iniziare. Questo rapporto ti dà un'idea di come le cose possono funzionare lì. Per quelli di voi che non conoscono il PKK è il partito curdo che negli ultimi decenni ha provocato dolore alla Turchia mentre premevano per la libertà.
Il processo a coloro che all'inizio dell'anno hanno ucciso tre missionari nella Turchia orientale si sta preparando per iniziare. Questo rapporto ti dà un'idea di come le cose possono funzionare lì. Per quelli di voi che non conoscono il PKK è il partito curdo che negli ultimi decenni ha provocato dolore alla Turchia mentre premevano per la libertà. Le recenti tensioni tra USA e Turchia riguardano il ruolo dei curdi e del PKK in Turchia e nel nord dell'Iraq. Hurriyet è uno dei giornali più letti della Turchia. Daremo un occhio a questo processo, così come ad altri siti in cui ha luogo la persecuzione.
Ecco il rapporto dalla Turchia:
ISTANBUL, 5 novembre (Compass Direct News) - La terza corte penale di Malatya ha fissato il 23 novembre per aprire il processo contro i confessati assassini dei cristiani convertiti turchi Necati Aydin e Ugur Yuksel e di un cristiano tedesco, Tilmann Geske. Tutte le notizie sulla stampa turca della scorsa settimana sul processo in corso hanno sensazionalizzato le giustificazioni offerte dagli assassini per i loro crimini durante l'interrogatorio della polizia, comprese accuse inverosimili contro le vittime. I tre cristiani protestanti sono stati torturati e uccisi con tagli alla gola il 18 aprile di quest'anno nell'ufficio della Zirve Publishing Company, nella provincia meridionale di Malatya.
in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per porci! https://blogs.bible.org/martyrs-murder-trial-in-turkey-nov-6/ "È chiaro da queste dichiarazioni dei sospetti che dietro di loro c'è un gruppo di potente influenza", ha detto a Compass il portavoce Isa Karatas dell'Alleanza delle Chiese protestanti in Turchia. "Queste persone vogliono ritrarre i protestanti turchi come nemici della nazione".
The trial of those who murdered three missionaries in Eastern Turkey earlier in the year is getting ready to begin. This report gives you a sense of how things can work there. For those of you who do not know the PKK is the Kurdish Party that has caused Turkey no lack of grief over the last several decades as they press for freedom.
The trial of those who murdered three missionaries in Eastern Turkey earlier in the year is getting ready to begin. This report gives you a sense of how things can work there. For those of you who do not know the PKK is the Kurdish Party that has caused Turkey no lack of grief over the last several decades as they press for freedom. The recent tensions between the USA and Turkey are over the role of the Kurds and the PKK in Turkey and in Northern Iraq. Hurriyet is one of Turkey's most widely read papers. We shall key an eye on this trial, as well as other sites where persecution takes place.
Here is the report from Turkey:
ISTANBUL, November 5 (Compass Direct News) – Malatya's Third Criminal Court has set November 23 to open the trial of the confessed murderers of Turkish convert Christians Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel and a German Christian, Tilmann Geske. All news about the pending trial in the Turkish press last week sensationalized justifications the killers offered for their crimes while under police interrogation, including far-fetched allegations against the victims. The three Protestant Christians were tortured and killed by having their throats cut on April 18 of this year in the Zirve Publishing Company's office in the southern province of Malatya. "It is clear from these statements of the suspects that there is some group of powerful influence behind them," spokesperson Isa Karatas of the Alliance of Protestant Churches in Turkey told Compass. "These people want to portray Turkey's Protestants as enemies of the nation."
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Malatya Murder Trial Set to Open in Turkey
Local press sensationalizes killers' justifications for deaths by torture.
by Barbara G. Baker
ISTANBUL, November 5 (Compass Direct News) – Malatya's Third Criminal Court has set November 23 to open the trial of the confessed murderers of Turkish convert Christians Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel and a German Christian, Tilmann Geske.
All news about the pending trial in the Turkish press last week sensationalized justifications the killers offered for their crimes while under police interrogation, including far-fetched allegations against the victims.
The three Protestant Christians were tortured and killed by having their throats cut on April 18 of this year in the Zirve Publishing Company's office in the southern province of Malatya.
After six months of confidential investigations, criminal prosecutors in Malatya had filed formal charges against the five accused killers on October 15, demanding the jailed culprits serve three consecutive life sentences in prison for their crimes.
Defendants Emre Gunaydin, Abuzer Yildirim, Hamit Ceker, Cuma Ozdemir and Salih Guler are accused of founding an armed group and murdering the victims in a deliberate, organized manner. The five killers are 19 and 20 years old.
An additional seven persons have also been charged for allegedly "aiding and abetting" the murder culprits. According to reports in the Turkish media, these seven unnamed suspects have not been arrested.
News on the pending trial date in the Turkish press sensationalized some scandalous allegations appearing in the killers' official interrogation statements. All the reports were based primarily on an initial release from the Anatolian Agency, a semi-official news source close to the government.
One headline of one of the most repeated claims read, "Missionaries were linked with the PKK," highlighting the murderers' claim that the three Christians had "praised" the violent, separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
The terrorist PKK group has killed more than 40 Turkish soldiers and civilians during the past month near Turkey's southern border with Iraq. At least 30,000 Turkish citizens have died in clashes between the PKK and the Turkish military since 1984.
Sabah newspaper's headline quoted Emre Gunaydin, the alleged ringleader of the five killers, as saying, "We committed murder out of fear they would harm our families."
One newspaper, the widely circulated Hurriyet, targeted a Protestant pastor in western Turkey by naming him in its headline. The report quoted Gunaydin's claim that he had planned to travel to kill the pastor once they had murdered the other three.
Most of the news reports also repeated Gunaydin's claim that the Christians were forcing local girls into prostitution.
"It is clear from these statements of the suspects that there is some group of powerful influence behind them," spokesperson Isa Karatas of the Alliance of Protestant Churches in Turkey told Compass. "These people want to portray Turkey's Protestants as enemies of the nation.
"At the same time," he added, "because honor is such an important concept in our culture, they are trying to accuse us of having weak morals, so that they can find a justification for their murders."
The slayers had claimed the motive for the gruesome torture and murder of Aydin, Yuksel and Geske was to stop Christians from defaming Islam and the Turkish nation.
The three Christian victims left behind two widows, five fatherless children and a fiancée.
Il processo per omicidio di Malatya si apre in Turchia
La stampa locale sensazionalizza le giustificazioni degli assassini per la morte per tortura.
di Barbara G. Baker
ISTANBUL, 5 novembre (Compass Direct News) - La terza corte penale di Malatya ha fissato il 23 novembre per aprire il processo contro i confessati assassini dei cristiani convertiti turchi Necati Aydin e Ugur Yuksel e di un cristiano tedesco, Tilmann Geske.
in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per porci! la enfatizzazione dei delitti sharia fa sembrare eroi nazionali i responsabili di questo efferato delitto, perché gli eroi hanno ubbidito al Corano! Tutte le notizie sulla stampa turca della scorsa settimana sul processo in corso hanno sensazionalizzato le giustificazioni offerte dagli assassini per i loro crimini durante l'interrogatorio della polizia, comprese accuse inverosimili contro le vittime. in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per porci! https://blogs.bible.org/martyrs-murder-trial-in-turkey-nov-6/
I tre cristiani protestanti sono stati torturati e uccisi con tagli alla gola il 18 aprile di quest'anno nell'ufficio della Zirve Publishing Company, nella provincia meridionale di Malatya.
in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per porci! https://blogs.bible.org/martyrs-murder-trial-in-turkey-nov-6/
Dopo sei mesi di indagini riservate, il 15 ottobre i pubblici ministeri di Malatya avevano presentato accuse formali contro i cinque assassini accusati, chiedendo ai colpevoli di scontare tre ergastoli consecutivi per i loro crimini.
in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per porci! https://blogs.bible.org/martyrs-murder-trial-in-turkey-nov-6/
Gli imputati Emre Gunaydin, Abuzer Yildirim, Hamit Ceker, Cuma Ozdemir e Salih Guler sono accusati di aver fondato un gruppo armato e di aver ucciso le vittime in modo deliberato e organizzato. I cinque assassini hanno 19 e 20 anni. https://blogs.bible.org/martyrs-murder-trial-in-turkey-nov-6/
in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per porci! https://blogs.bible.org/martyrs-murder-trial-in-turkey-nov-6/
Altre sette persone sono state anche accusate di "favoreggiamento" dei colpevoli dell'omicidio. ma , questi sette sospetti anonimi non sono stati arrestati (perché hanno problemi mentali come Erdogan).
Le notizie sulla data del processo in sospeso sulla stampa turca hanno sensazionalizzato alcune accuse scandalose che compaiono nelle dichiarazioni ufficiali degli interrogatori degli assassini. Tutti i rapporti si basavano principalmente su un rilascio iniziale dell'Anatolian Agency, una fonte di notizie semi-ufficiale vicina al governo.
Un titolo di una delle affermazioni più ripetute diceva: "I missionari erano collegati al PKK", sottolineando l'affermazione degli assassini secondo cui i tre cristiani avevano "lodato" il violento e separatista Partito dei lavoratori del Kurdistan (PKK).
Il gruppo terroristico del PKK ha ucciso più di 40 soldati e civili turchi durante lo scorso mese vicino al confine meridionale della Turchia con l'Iraq. Almeno 30.000 cittadini turchi sono morti negli scontri tra il PKK e l'esercito turco dal 1984.
Il titolo del quotidiano Sabah citava Emre Gunaydin, il presunto capobanda dei cinque assassini, che diceva: "Abbiamo commesso un omicidio per paura che danneggiassero le nostre famiglie".
Un giornale, il diffusissimo Hurriyet, ha preso di mira un pastore protestante nella Turchia occidentale nominandolo nel titolo. Il rapporto citava l'affermazione di Gunaydin secondo cui aveva programmato di viaggiare per uccidere il pastore una volta che avessero ucciso gli altri tre.
La maggior parte delle notizie ha anche ripetuto l'affermazione di Gunaydin secondo cui i cristiani stavano costringendo le ragazze locali a prostituirsi.
"È chiaro da queste dichiarazioni dei sospetti che dietro di loro c'è un gruppo di potente influenza", ha detto a Compass il portavoce Isa Karatas dell'Alleanza delle Chiese protestanti in Turchia. "Queste persone vogliono ritrarre i protestanti turchi come nemici della nazione.
"Allo stesso tempo", ha aggiunto, "poiché l'onore è un concetto così importante nella nostra cultura, stanno cercando di accusarci di avere una morale debole, in modo che possano trovare una giustificazione per i loro omicidi".
Gli assassini avevano affermato che il motivo delle macabre torture e dell'omicidio di Aydin, Yuksel e Geske era quello di impedire ai cristiani di diffamare l'Islam e la nazione turca.
Le tre vittime cristiane hanno lasciato due vedove, cinque orfani di padre e una fidanzata. ____________
Copyright 2007 Compass Direct News
Compass Direct Flash News is distributed as available to raise awareness of Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith. Articles may be reprinted by active subscribers only.
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JO ANNE
NOVEMBER 6, 2007 AT 5:42 PM
The PKK has been in the news
The PKK has been in the news quite a lot these last weeks, but this article makes the problems there more personal. More ethnic problems among the Kurds and Turkey? As is common now-a-days, there doesn't seem to be any satisfactory solutions to the political turmoil within that entire region.
What a horrible murder! While I was reading, all I could think of was that this had once been the home of the 7 Churches of Revelation and one of the centers of Paul's missionary activity.
Does anyone know how extensive the Christian population is there?
BOCK
NOVEMBER 6, 2007 AT 7:23 PM
Population In Turkey dlb
I am not sure how well populated this eastern region is for Christians. Not as concentrated as in the West of Turkey for sure and less than 1% of Turkey is Christian! Something like 5000 Christians in a country of 80 million– and most of these are in the western part of Turkey. This was a region of missionary activity almost starting from scratch.
dlb
NICODUCA
FEBRUARY 26, 2008 AT 7:40 PM
The decision to reopen a
The decision to reopen a murder case which involved the killing of three Christian workers in Turkey by the Turkish Interior Ministry is describe as a test case by a Christian persecution-monitoring ministry.
Glenn Penner, a spokesperson from the Voice of the Martyr Canada, said the re-opening of the case, where the Ministry is currently conducting a judicial investigation into the state prosecutors mishandling of the murder trial, would determine whether Christians living in the Muslim-majority country would feel as a full-fledge citizen or not.
"If the killers are allowed to simply get away with lesser charges, or it's seen that these murders were somehow justified on the basis that these Christians were involved in missionary activity, then Turkish Christians are certainly going to feel that they're not equal members of society, and that their religious activities are going to continue to be under threat," Mr. Penner told the Mission Network News (MNN).
This case illustrated, Mr. Penner continued, whether the Turkish government was serious about defending the rights of Christians living in the country which has the aspiration of joining the European Union.
John Candelin, the executive director of the Religious Liberty Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), had sent a letter to the Turkish Prime Minister, which called on him to come out publicly to state the missionary activities carried out by Christians were good.
Furthermore, the WEA was also helping the families of the three Christian martyrs killed by the Muslim fanatic by helping to fund the children' education.
__________________________
Submited by :
TRAFFIC101
NOVEMBER 24, 2008 AT 10:25 AM
The war is not over for
The war is not over for Christians and muslims.I wonder whats the fuzz between these two.Violence should be stop,many people and mostly innocent ones are affected.
https://blogs.bible.org/martyrs-murder-trial-in-turkey-nov-6/
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Defendant Testifies in Turkish Martyrs' Murders Jan 23 08
January 23, 2008 / Comments Offon Defendant Testifies in Turkish Martyrs' Murders Jan 23 08
https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
The murder trials of those accused of killing three Christians in Malatya, Turkey continues. Direct Compass issued this summary of the trial today. We have been watching this situation closely. So here is the full update:
The murder trials of those accused of killing three Christians in Malatya, Turkey continues. Direct Compass issued this summary of the trial today. We have been watching this situation closely. So here is the full update:
FLASH from COMPASS DIRECT NEWS
News from the Frontlines of Persecution
Proseguono i processi per omicidio degli accusati di aver ucciso tre cristiani a Malatya, in Turchia. Direct Compass ha pubblicato oggi questo riassunto del processo. Abbiamo osservato da vicino questa situazione. Quindi ecco l'aggiornamento completo:
Proseguono i processi per omicidio di coloro che sono accusati di aver ucciso tre cristiani a Malatya, in Turchia. Direct Compass ha pubblicato oggi questo riassunto del processo. Abbiamo osservato da vicino questa situazione. Quindi ecco l'aggiornamento completo:
FLASH da COMPASS DIRECT NEWS
Notizie dal fronte della persecuzione
MALATYA, Turchia, 23 gennaio (Compass Direct News) - Il primo dei cinque giovani musulmani turchi sotto processo per aver torturato e ucciso tre cristiani nella Turchia orientale si è presentato la scorsa settimana al banco dei testimoni, negando energicamente che il gruppo avesse pianificato di uccidere gli evangelici. Nella testimonianza agghiacciante delle ultime ore di Necati Aydin, Ugur Yuksel e Tilmann Geske, il killer accusato Hamit Ceker ha dichiarato lunedì (14 gennaio) davanti al terzo tribunale penale di Malatya che durante il feroce attacco all'ufficio della Zirve Publishing Company il 18 aprile, ha visto il leader il sospetto Emre Gunaydin ha tagliato la gola a due cristiani. Sebbene Ceker abbia testimoniato di aver portato con sé pistole, una lunga sezione di corda e che ognuno di loro portava un coltello appena acquistato, un paio di guanti di plastica e un jawshan islamico (iscrizione di preghiera protettiva), ha insistito che lo scopo dell'operazione era per sequestrare prove incriminanti contro i cristiani, non per ucciderli. Ha detto di aver visto Gunaydin uccidere Geske e Aydin ma non era a conoscenza di come sia morto Yuksel. "Non ho visto come è stato ucciso Ugur", ha detto Ceker. "L'ho appena sentito gridare: 'Gesù!'"
Notizie dal fronte della persecuzioneSummary:
MALATYA, Turkey, January 23 (Compass Direct News) – The first of five young Turkish Muslims on trial for torturing and killing three Christians in eastern Turkey took the witness stand last week, vigorously denying that the group had planned to kill the evangelicals. In chilling testimony of the final hours of Necati Aydin, Ugur Yuksel and Tilmann Geske, accused killer Hamit Ceker stated before Malatya's Third Criminal Court on Monday (January 14) that during the savage attack on Zirve Publishing Company's office on April 18, he saw leading suspect Emre Gunaydin slit the throats of two of the Christians. Although Ceker testified that they had brought along guns, a lengthy section of rope, and that each of them carried a newly purchased knife, a pair of plastic gloves and an Islamic jawshan (protective prayer inscription), he insisted the purpose of the operation was to seize incriminating evidence against the Christians, not to kill them. He said he saw Gunaydin kill Geske and Aydin but was unaware of how Yuksel died. "I didn't see how Ugur was killed," Ceker said. "I just heard him cry out, 'Jesus!'"
https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
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in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
International Monitoring in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Turkish Murder Suspects Blame Alleged Ringleader
Young Muslim says intent was not to kill but to seize evidence against three Christians.
by Barbara G. Baker
MALATYA, Turkey, January 23 (Compass Direct News) – The first of five young Turkish Muslims on trial for torturing and killing three Christians in eastern Turkey took the witness stand last week, vigorously denying that the group had planned to kill the evangelicals.
In chilling testimony of the final hours of Necati Aydin, Ugur Yuksel and Tilmann Geske, accused killer Hamit Ceker stated before Malatya's Third Criminal Court on Monday (January 14) , that during the savage attack on Zirve Publishing Company's office on April 18, he saw leading suspect Emre Gunaydin slit the throats of two of the Christians.
Denying that the group of young conspirators had planned to kill the two former Muslims who had converted to Christianity or their German colleague, Ceker told the judge that the confrontation turned "tense" when Aydin, who pastored a small Protestant congregation in Malatya, declared to the five young Muslims, "We are all the children of Jesus."
But the defendant claimed that he himself had no part in killing the three Christians. Although Ceker testified that they had brought along guns and a lengthy section of rope, and that each of them carried a newly purchased knife, a pair of plastic gloves and an Islamic jawshan (protective prayer inscription), he insisted the purpose of the operation was to seize incriminating evidence against the Christians, not to kill them.
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Monitoraggio internazionale
in Turchia I cristiani sono carne per i suini! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testify-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Sospetti di omicidio turco incolpano il presunto capobanda
Il giovane musulmano dice che l'intento non era quello di uccidere, ma quello di sequestrare prove contro tre cristiani.
di Barbara G. Baker
MALATYA, Turchia, 23 gennaio (Compass Direct News) - Il primo dei cinque giovani musulmani turchi sotto processo per aver torturato e ucciso tre cristiani nella Turchia orientale si è presentato la scorsa settimana al banco dei testimoni, negando energicamente che il gruppo avesse pianificato di uccidere gli evangelici.
Nella testimonianza agghiacciante delle ultime ore di Necati Aydin, Ugur Yuksel e Tilmann Geske, il killer accusato Hamit Ceker ha dichiarato lunedì (14 gennaio) davanti al terzo tribunale penale di Malatya, che durante il feroce attacco all'ufficio della Zirve Publishing Company il 18 aprile, ha visto Il principale sospettato Emre Gunaydin ha tagliato la gola a due cristiani.
Negando che il gruppo di giovani cospiratori avesse pianificato di uccidere i due ex musulmani che si erano convertiti al cristianesimo o il loro collega tedesco, Ceker ha detto al giudice che lo scontro è diventato "teso" quando Aydin, pastore di una piccola congregazione protestante a Malatya, ha dichiarato di i cinque giovani musulmani: "Siamo tutti figli di Gesù".
Ma l'imputato ha affermato di non aver avuto alcun ruolo nell'uccidere i tre cristiani. Sebbene Ceker abbia testimoniato di aver portato con sé armi da fuoco e una lunga sezione di corda, e che ognuno di loro portava un coltello appena acquistato, un paio di guanti di plastica e un jawshan islamico (iscrizione di preghiera protettiva), ha insistito che lo scopo dell'operazione era per sequestrare prove incriminanti contro i cristiani, non per ucciderli.
in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
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Ha testimoniato che lui e alcuni degli altri avevano cercato di persuadere Gunaydin a lasciare gli uomini legati sul pavimento e scappare.
"No, ora mi conoscono", ha risposto Gunaydin, secondo Ceker. "Non me ne andrò senza ucciderli."
Ceker ha testimoniato che Gunaydin ha poi ordinato al sospetto Salih Gurler di strangolare Aydin. Quando Gurler ha provato ma alla fine si è arreso e ha detto che non poteva farlo, il capobanda è andato prontamente e ha iniziato a pugnalare Aydin, tagliandogli la gola, ha detto Ceker.
Gunaydin ha quindi preso un asciugamano per coprire il viso di Geske e gli ha tagliato la gola, ha detto Ceker, aggiungendo che non era a conoscenza di come sia morto Yuksel.
"Non ho visto come è stato ucciso Ugur", ha detto Ceker. "L'ho appena sentito gridare: 'Gesù!'"
Yuksel, un uomo di 32 anni di un villaggio vicino a Elazig, si è fidanzato per sposarsi, è morto in ospedale diverse ore dopo che Ceker ha finalmente aperto la porta e si è arreso alla polizia. Aydin, 35 anni, padre di due figli, e Geske, 46 anni, padre di tre figli, erano già morti, i loro corpi mutilati con molteplici coltellate.
A quel punto, ha detto Ceker, Gunaydin aveva cercato di scappare dal balcone del terzo piano, cadendo a terra e subendo gravi ferite.
Sotto interrogatorio del suo avvocato difensore, Ceker ha affermato di essere stato intimidito dalle minacce di Gunaydin di danneggiare lui e la sua famiglia se non avesse collaborato al complotto per esporre e porre fine alle attività missionarie cristiane a Malatya.
He testified that he and some of the others had tried to persuade Gunaydin to leave the men tied up on the floor and escape.
"No, they know me now," Gunaydin replied, according to Ceker. "I won't leave without killing them."
Ceker testified that Gunaydin then ordered suspect Salih Gurler to strangle Aydin. When Gurler tried but finally gave up and said he couldn't do it, the ringleader promptly went over and began stabbing Aydin, slashing his throat, Ceker said.
Gunaydin then took a towel to cover Geske's face and cut his throat, Ceker said, adding that he was unaware of how Yuksel died.
"I didn't see how Ugur was killed," Ceker said. "I just heard him cry out, 'Jesus!'"
A 32-year-old man from a village near Elazig engaged to be married, Yuksel died in a hospital several hours after Ceker finally unlocked the door and surrendered to the police. Aydin, 35, father of two children, and Geske, 46, a father of three, were already dead, their bodies mutilated with multiple stab wounds.
By that time, Ceker said, Gunaydin had tried to escape over the third floor balcony, falling to the pavement and suffering serious injuries.
Under cross-examination from his defense lawyer, Ceker claimed he had been intimidated by Gunaydin's threats to harm him and his family if he did not cooperate in the plot to expose and put a halt to Christian missionary activities in Malatya.
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International Monitoring in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Police Complicity
Ceker also said that Gunaydin was known to have close relations with the local police chief, so he was reluctant to report the ringleader's plot to the police. But he admitted that the night before, he and another of the defendants had sat in the hall of their dormitory, writing a letter to their families in case things did not turn out well.
"We thought that we might not come back from this incident, and that whether we returned or not, it was going to come back on our heads," Ceker said.
Ceker confirmed under questioning that the group had performed special Muslim "thanksgiving prayers" together early on the morning of the murders. But he said he didn't know the meaning of that ritual nor why they did it.
In answer to his lawyer's question as to whether he had in any way "helped the men who were tied up on the floor," Ceker claimed he had loosened the cords tightly binding Yuksel's wrists, and even slipped a packet under his head.
Ceker's comments, which came near the close of the 10-hour hearing, brought a verbal outburst from Semse Aydin, widow of Necati Aydin and a plaintiff in the case.
"They went there to kill our husbands, and then they say they did things to make them comfortable!" the widow cried out in the courtroom. "This is contemptible!"
After a second outburst moments later, the widow was ordered out of the courtroom by Judge Eray Gurtekin, although he recalled her moments later when plaintiff lawyers protested.
Complicità della polizia
Ceker ha anche detto che Gunaydin era noto per avere stretti rapporti con il capo della polizia locale, quindi era riluttante a denunciare il complotto del capobanda alla polizia. Ma ha ammesso che la sera prima lui e un altro degli imputati si erano seduti nell'atrio del loro dormitorio, scrivendo una lettera alle loro famiglie nel caso in cui le cose non fossero andate bene.
"Abbiamo pensato che non saremmo potuti tornare indietro da questo incidente, e che se fossimo tornati o no, sarebbe tornato sulle nostre teste", ha detto Ceker.
Ceker ha confermato sotto interrogatorio che il gruppo aveva eseguito insieme speciali "preghiere di ringraziamento" musulmane la mattina presto degli omicidi. Ma ha detto che non conosceva il significato di quel rituale né perché lo facessero.
In risposta alla domanda del suo avvocato sul fatto che avesse in qualche modo "aiutato gli uomini che erano legati sul pavimento", Ceker affermò di aver allentato le corde che legavano strettamente i polsi di Yuksel e gli fece persino scivolare un pacchetto sotto la testa.
I commenti di Ceker, che si sono avvicinati alla chiusura dell'udienza di 10 ore, hanno provocato un'esplosione verbale da parte di Semse Aydin, vedova di Necati Aydin e querelante nel caso.
"Sono andati lì per uccidere i nostri mariti, e poi dicono che hanno fatto cose per metterli a loro agio!" gridò la vedova in aula. "Questo è spregevole!"
Dopo un secondo sfogo, pochi istanti dopo, il giudice Eray Gurtekin ha ordinato alla vedova di uscire dall'aula, anche se la ricordò pochi istanti dopo, quando gli avvocati della parte attrice protestarono.International Monitoring in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
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International Monitoring in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Anti-Christian Rhetoric
Prior to Ceker's testimony, two young men accused of involvement in the murder plot were called to the witness stand, one by one. The judge ordered all other defendants removed from the courtroom to prevent them from hearing and influencing each others' testimonies.
Suspect Kursat Kocadag admitted that Gunaydin had started talking against Christians to him about four months before the murders.
In a local café, Gunaydin had complained to him and other students that there were 49 "house churches" in Malatya, and that these Christian missionary activities represented a strong threat to Islam and Turkish society, he said.
He showed Kocadag a book entitled More Than a Carpenter, declaring that it "slandered Allah, our prophet and our book," Kocadag said.
"He said that we needed to penetrate them, to find out where they were getting their money, from what businessmen, and if necessary to become martyrs and kill them," Kocadag told the court.
Six weeks before the killings, Kocadag said, he agreed to hide in his home a pistol that Gunaydin gave him, saying he was afraid authorities might search his student dormitory and find it. The night before the murders, Gunaydin collected the gun, later found at the scene of the crime, from Kocadag's home.
He also went with Gunaydin to some meetings of the Nur sect of Islam, where he said about 25 university students were studying the books of Said-i Nursi, a Sufi mystic influential in Turkish politics in the mid-20th century.
Under questioning, Kocadag said that Gunaydin was not very religiously observant and admitted that he himself did nothing more than Friday prayers.
But when Kocadag refused to join Gunaydin in his plan to spy on and intimidate Christians in Malatya, he said Gunaydin stopped talking to him about it any more.
'Others' Supporting Plot
Along with murder suspect Ceker, Kocadag denied that he had any information as to who Gunaydin may have been referring to when he mentioned "others" who were supporting and encouraging the anti-missionary plot.
The second youth charged with conspiring with the murderers, Mehmet Gokce, promptly identified himself as the son of a local policeman.
Gokce claimed that he had very little contact or relationship with Gunaydin, whose family lived opposite his computer shop where he sold CDs and repaired computers.
According to Gokce, Gunaydin had simply asked him if he could help him copy a computer hard disk containing information about missionaries.
He just thought Gunaydin was "goofing around" when he said he would use the word "apple" instead of "computer" in any mobile telephone messages about the hard disk he wanted to get copied, Gokce said. He claimed he had no knowledge whatever of the group's criminal plans.
For the first time, Yuksel's mother and aging father, who suffered a severe stroke several months after his youngest son's murder, were able to attend the trial.
At one point mid-morning, as the defendants filed out of the courtroom under heavy guard, Yuksel's mother shouted at them from a nearby bench of observers, "Is your conscience troubled? Can you sleep at night?"
In comments headlined by the Turkish press the next day, widow Susanne Geske declared that she and her children who are still living in Malatya wanted to visit the murderers in prison.
"We want to meet with the killers, but I am waiting for the right time," she said. "I don't want to ask them questions; I just have something to say. My children are asking, 'When will we go to them?'"
On the eve of the second hearing, the two widows agreed for the first time since the week of the murders to be interviewed on Turkish television. The taped interviews sharing their memories of their husbands appeared on CNNTURK the evening of the trial.
International Monitoring in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Anti-Christian Rhetoric
Retorica anticristiana
Prima della testimonianza di Ceker, due giovani accusati di coinvolgimento nel complotto dell'omicidio sono stati chiamati al banco dei testimoni, uno per uno. Il giudice ha ordinato a tutti gli altri imputati di allontanarsi dall'aula per impedire loro di ascoltare e influenzare le reciproche testimonianze.
Il sospetto Kursat Kocadag ha ammesso che Gunaydin aveva iniziato a parlargli contro i cristiani circa quattro mesi prima degli omicidi.
In un caffè locale, Gunaydin si era lamentato con lui e altri studenti che a Malatya c'erano 49 "chiese domestiche" e che queste attività missionarie cristiane rappresentavano una forte minaccia per l'Islam e la società turca, ha detto.
Ha mostrato a Kocadag un libro intitolato More Than a Carpenter, dichiarando che "calunniava Allah, il nostro profeta e il nostro libro", ha detto Kocadag.
"Ha detto che dovevamo penetrarli, scoprire dove prendevano i soldi, da quali uomini d'affari e, se necessario, diventare martiri e ucciderli", ha detto Kocadag alla corte.
Sei settimane prima degli omicidi, ha detto Kocadag, ha accettato di nascondere a casa sua una pistola che Gunaydin gli aveva dato, dicendo che aveva paura che le autorità potessero perquisire il suo dormitorio studentesco e trovarla. La notte prima degli omicidi, Gunaydin ha ritirato la pistola, poi ritrovata sulla scena del crimine, dalla casa di Kocadag.
È anche andato con Gunaydin ad alcuni incontri della setta dell'Islam Nur, dove ha detto che circa 25 studenti universitari stavano studiando i libri di Said-i Nursi, un mistico sufi influente nella politica turca nella metà del XX secolo.
Interrogato, Kocadag ha detto che Gunaydin non era molto religioso osservante e ha ammesso di non aver fatto altro che le preghiere del venerdì.
Ma quando Kocadag ha rifiutato di unirsi a Gunaydin nel suo piano per spiare e intimidire i cristiani a Malatya, ha detto che Gunaydin ha smesso di parlargli ancora.
Trama di supporto "Altri"
Insieme al sospetto di omicidio Ceker, Kocadag ha negato di avere alcuna informazione su chi Gunaydin potesse riferirsi quando ha menzionato "altri" che stavano sostenendo e incoraggiando il complotto anti-missionario.
Il secondo giovane accusato di cospirazione con gli assassini, Mehmet Gokce, si è prontamente identificato come figlio di un poliziotto locale.
Gokce ha affermato di avere pochissimi contatti o rapporti con Gunaydin, la cui famiglia viveva di fronte al suo negozio di computer dove vendeva CD e riparava computer.
Secondo Gokce, Gunaydin gli aveva semplicemente chiesto se poteva aiutarlo a copiare un disco rigido del computer contenente informazioni sui missionari.
Pensava solo che Gunaydin stesse "scherzando" quando ha detto che avrebbe usato la parola "mela" invece di "computer" in tutti i messaggi di telefonia mobile sul disco rigido che voleva che gli fosse copiato, ha detto Gokce. Ha affermato di non avere alcuna conoscenza dei piani criminali del gruppo.
Per la prima volta, la madre e l'anziano padre di Yuksel, che hanno subito un grave ictus diversi mesi dopo l'omicidio del figlio più giovane, hanno potuto assistere al processo.
A un certo punto a metà mattina, mentre gli imputati uscivano dall'aula sotto stretta sorveglianza, la madre di Yuksel gridò loro da un vicino banco di osservatori:
"La vostra coscienza è turbata? Puoi dormire la notte? "
Nei commenti titolati dalla stampa turca il giorno successivo, la vedova Susanne Geske ha dichiarato che lei ei suoi figli che vivono ancora a Malatya volevano visitare gli assassini in prigione.
"Vogliamo incontrare gli assassini, ma sto aspettando il momento giusto", ha detto. "Non voglio fare loro domande; Ho solo qualcosa da dire. I miei figli chiedono: "Quando andremo da loro?" "
Alla vigilia della seconda udienza, le due vedove hanno accettato per la prima volta dalla settimana degli omicidi di essere intervistate dalla televisione turca. Le interviste registrate che condividevano i ricordi dei loro mariti sono apparse su CNNTURK la sera del processo.
International Monitoring in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
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il depistaggio della corte turca, ha citato il rifiuto della corte di consegnare le prove chiave nel fascicolo dell'accusa, inclusi documenti, CD e fotografie che Cengiz ha detto sono tutti cruciali "per interrogare adeguatamente gli imputati". International Monitoring in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Exposing Masterminds
Geske also reiterated that she did not believe that the slaughter was plotted only by the five young men. "I want to know who put these five people up to this, to find those who are 'behind the curtain,'" she said.
According to attorney Orhan Kemal Cengiz, leading the team of plaintiff lawyers, it is vital to identify the perpetrators behind the attack.
Cengiz told Compass after the hearing that he and his colleagues were "irritated and very angry" about the killings themselves, as well as the prosecution's investigation and judiciary handling of the case.
In particular, he cited the court's refusal to hand over key evidence in the prosecution file, including documents, CDs and photographs that Cengiz said are all crucial "in order to question the defendants properly."
Last week the judge also denied permission to record the court proceedings, which would provide a complete text of all the oral arguments rather than just an abbreviated summary.
Formal requests to remove 16 files of information about the religious activities of the three Christians, and to charge the perpetrators with "religious genocide," were also denied.
Esporre le menti
Geske ha anche ribadito che non credeva che il massacro fosse stato tramato solo dai cinque giovani. "Voglio sapere chi ha messo queste cinque persone fino a questo, per trovare quelli che sono 'dietro le quinte'", ha detto.
Secondo l'avvocato Orhan Kemal Cengiz, a capo del team di avvocati ricorrenti, è fondamentale identificare gli autori dell'attacco.
Cengiz ha detto a Compass dopo l'udienza che lui ei suoi colleghi erano "irritati e molto arrabbiati" per gli omicidi stessi, così come per le indagini dell'accusa e per la gestione giudiziaria del caso.
In particolare, ha citato il rifiuto della corte di consegnare le prove chiave nel fascicolo dell'accusa, inclusi documenti, CD e fotografie che Cengiz ha detto sono tutti cruciali "per interrogare adeguatamente gli imputati".
La scorsa settimana il giudice ha anche negato il permesso di registrare i procedimenti giudiziari, il che fornirebbe un testo completo di tutte le argomentazioni orali piuttosto che un semplice riassunto abbreviato.
Sono state negate anche le richieste formali di rimuovere 16 file di informazioni sulle attività religiose dei tre cristiani e di accusare gli autori di "genocidio religioso".==============
The Malatya court has refused to accept as evidence the video films from surveillance cameras placed in Gunaydin's hospital room during the month he was recovering from his injuries, before he was sent to prison. According to plaintiff lawyers, the police deliberately failed to submit the tapes within the required 24-hour limit and also did not obtain formal court permission to film the suspect.
https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
In still another "scandal" that made headlines in the Turkish media, police officials reportedly ignored standard forensic procedures by putting all the blood-stained clothes of the suspects into one container to be sent to the Ankara Criminal Laboratory, making it impossible to distinguish which individuals had the different victims' blood on their clothing.
Near the close of last week's hearing, plaintiff lawyers requested that the police investigation files regarding Necati Aydin's brother-in-law, a pastor in Izmit whom Gunaydin had reportedly vowed to kill after the Malatya murders, be added to the Malatya case.
Sono state negate anche le richieste formali di rimuovere 16 file di informazioni sulle attività religiose dei tre cristiani e di accusare gli autori di "genocidio religioso".
Il tribunale di Malatya ha rifiutato di accettare come prova i filmati delle telecamere di sorveglianza posizionati nella stanza d'ospedale di Gunaydin durante il mese in cui si stava riprendendo dalle ferite, prima di essere mandato in prigione. Secondo gli avvocati dell'attore, la polizia ha deliberatamente omesso di presentare i nastri entro il limite di 24 ore richiesto e inoltre non ha ottenuto il permesso formale del tribunale di filmare il sospetto.
https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testify-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
In un altro "scandalo" che ha fatto notizia sui media turchi, i funzionari di polizia avrebbero ignorato le procedure forensi standard mettendo tutti i vestiti macchiati di sangue dei sospettati in un contenitore da inviare al Laboratorio criminale di Ankara, rendendo impossibile distinguere quale le persone avevano il sangue delle diverse vittime sui loro vestiti.
Verso la fine dell'udienza della scorsa settimana, gli avvocati del querelante hanno chiesto che i file delle indagini della polizia riguardanti il cognato di Necati Aydin, un pastore a Izmit che Gunaydin avrebbe giurato di uccidere dopo gli omicidi Malatya, fossero aggiunti al caso Malatya.======================
International Monitoring in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
In addition to relatives of the three victims, the January 14 hearing was observed by international press and television crews from Holland, Germany and the United States, as well as representatives from two non-governmental human rights organizations, a German diplomat and several leaders of the Turkish Alliance of Protestant Churches.
in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
After a flood of media reports late last year, the Turkish Interior Ministry on December 8 opened a judicial investigation into allegations of a seriously flawed investigation by Malatya's state prosecutors of alleged collusion of public officials in the murders. in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
The following week, the Tuvelopment Party, spoke briefly to the press after observing the first few hours of the January 14 hearing.
"Everyone in Turkey has freerkish Foreign Ministry confirmed that the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on Religious Freedom and Tolerance was actively monitoring the Malatya case. in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Dr. Zafer Uskul, head of the Turkish Parliament's Human Rights Investigation Commission and a member of the ruling Justice and Dedom of religion and belief," Uskul said. But he also admitted, "People in society need to be more tolerant. Particularly young people need to be educated on the subject of freedom of religion and belief." in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Monitoraggio internazionale in Turchia I cristiani sono carne per i suini! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testify-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Oltre ai parenti delle tre vittime, l'udienza del 14 gennaio è stata osservata dalla stampa internazionale e dalle troupe televisive di Olanda, Germania e Stati Uniti, nonché rappresentanti di due organizzazioni non governative per i diritti umani, un diplomatico tedesco e diversi leader di l'Alleanza turca delle chiese protestanti.
in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per i suini! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testify-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Dopo una marea di resoconti dei media alla fine dell'anno scorso, l'8 dicembre il ministero dell'Interno turco ha aperto un'indagine giudiziaria sulle accuse di un'indagine gravemente imperfetta da parte dei procuratori di Stato di Malatya sulla presunta collusione di funzionari pubblici negli omicidi. in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per i suini! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testify-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
La settimana successiva, il Tuvelopment Party, ha parlato brevemente alla stampa dopo aver osservato le prime ore dell'udienza del 14 gennaio.
"Tutti in Turchia hanno un ministero degli Esteri freerkish che ha confermato che il Relatore speciale delle Nazioni Unite sulla libertà religiosa e la tolleranza stava monitorando attivamente il caso Malatya. in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per i suini! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testify-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Il dottor Zafer Uskul, capo della Commissione investigativa sui diritti umani del parlamento turco e membro della sentenza Giustizia e libertà di religione e credo ", ha detto Uskul. Ma ha anche ammesso: "Le persone nella società devono essere più tolleranti. In particolare i giovani hanno bisogno di essere istruiti sul tema della libertà di religione e credo ". in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per i suini! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testify-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/ The court is scheduled to resume interrogation of the remaining four suspects on February 25. The Malatya massacre is the third in a chain of three deadly attacks against Turkey's tiny Christian minority in the past two years. Italian Catholic priest Fr. Andrea Santoro was shot to death while kneeling after mass in his church in Trabzon in February 2006, followed by the assassination of Armenian Christian editor Hrant Dink at the entrance of his newspaper office in Istanbul on January 19, 2007. The assailants in both cases were teenagers. in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per porci! Il tribunale dovrebbe riprendere l'interrogatorio dei restanti quattro sospetti il 25 febbraio. Il massacro di Malatya è il terzo di una catena di tre attacchi mortali contro la piccola minoranza cristiana della Turchia negli ultimi due anni. Sacerdote cattolico italiano p. Andrea Santoro è stato ucciso a colpi di arma da fuoco mentre era inginocchiato dopo la messa nella sua chiesa a Trabzon nel febbraio 2006, seguito dall'assassinio del direttore armeno cristiano Hrant Dink all'ingresso della sua redazione di giornale a Istanbul il 19 gennaio 2007. Gli aggressori in entrambi i casi sono stati adolescenti. https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testify-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
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Author: Compass Direct News
Compass Direct News was a news service dedicated to providing exclusive news, penetrating reports, moving interviews and insightful analyses of situations and events facing Christians persecuted for their faith.
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Website: http://www.compassdirect.org
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November 16, 2005
Latest Persecution News from Compass Direct
In case you haven't read the Compass Direct website lately - please do. Compass Direct updates their website frequently and they stay on top of the most recent persecution news.
Here's their two latest top notch news stories.
CHINA : CAI PRESSURED TO DROP APPEAL OF CONVICTION: Pastor and two others bow out of legal fight after court clerk threatens house church leader.
Pastor Cai Zhuohua and two other Christians found guilty on November 8 of "illegal business practices" have dropped plans to appeal their conviction, two days before a legal deadline for the appeal.
A fourth Christian, Hu Jinyun, will continue the appeal process through her own lawyers, according to a China Aid Association (CAA) report released today.
A clerk from Haidian District People's Court visited Cai at the Qinghe detention center and warned him that his sentence would be increased if he "annoyed" the judges with an appeal, according to CAA. Facing heavy pressure, Cai, his wife and brother-in-law agreed to drop the appeal.
This decision came as President Bush began an eight-day tour of Asia. Bush intends to visit China November 19-21. In a speech made in Japan, he urged China to open the door to more political and religious freedoms, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported today.
Finish the article
https://www.persecutionblog.com/2005/11/latest_persecut.html
Here is the second news item... INDIA : HINDU EXTREMISTS ATTACK CHURCH IN HIMACHAL PRADESH, INDIA :World Hindu Council threatens to burn pastor and church members to death.
November 14 (Compass) – Hindu extremists attacked 62-year-old Pastor Feroz Masih in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh on November 4, accusing him of "forcibly converting" Hindus and severely beating him.
The attackers then forced Masih to sign a document saying he was willing to participate in a ceremony planned for Sunday (November 20), in which all 60 members of his church would be converted back to Hinduism.
If the pastor and other church members refused to take part, the extremists said, they would be burned to death.
Please finish reading. I feel heavy-hearted after reading these stories because the evil is just palpable. However, it's amazing how much stronger and more real God is and how He has overcome all evil.
Here is the latest from Turkey on details about the massacre which have been verified as exaggerated. This report comes from some people closest to the events who examined the bodies and want accuracy in the reporting. They want to get the correct story out and give their take on what is taking place. Here is the report with names removed (and the description brother placed in its place), except for the victims.
https://blogs.bible.org/clarification-about-the-martyrs-from-turkey-may-1/
Here is the latest from Turkey on details about the massacre which have been verified as exaggerated. This report comes from some people closest to the events who examined the bodies and want accuracy in the reporting. They want to get the correct story out and give their take on what is taking place. Here is the report with names removed (and the description brother placed in its place), except for the victims.
https://blogs.bible.org/clarification-about-the-martyrs-from-turkey-may-1/
_______
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet you in the peace and love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May the Lord abundantly bless you, your families, your churches, and your work.
We know and appreciate very much your heart for us.
Brothers and sisters, in the last ten days we have experienced very painful moments, which words cannot begin to express. Our painful experience has shown us that our lives are as the Lord describes: "What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." For this reason we have understood one more time how holy and close to the Lord we should live our lives.
We have also understood that our society is easily given to emotion and that in such painful moments some people, whether intentionally or not, report certain events inaccurately and we have not prevented this or have not been able to do so.
When the Malatya massacre happened we, the brothers from Diyarbakir, besides those already on the scene at the time of the crime, were the first to get there. When we got to Malatya our brother Ugur was still alive, but his condition was critical. Around 5:30 PM Ugur entrusted his spirit to the Lord.
Dear brothers and sisters, that painful moment has slowly come into perspective for us so that now we have begun to see some things as we should. For example, it appears that those who murdered or arranged for the murder of these brothers are getting what they hoped for. By means of our reactions we may unwittingly help them. If we do not bring the facts into the light, these people will end up getting what they desired.
https://blogs.bible.org/clarification-about-the-martyrs-from-turkey-may-1/
Brothers Tilmann, Necati, and Ugur were murdered in a bloodthirsty way. This is a fact. But there are also some inaccurate claims about this massacre and one of these is the extent of the torture. According to rumors brother Tilmann was stabbed with a knife 156 times. Brother Ugur had countless knife wounds, it has been said. These rumors, however, are unfounded. At the morgue we wanted to put brother Tilmann's body, which was in a plastic bag, into the coffin, but the officials and police did not like this. "It is sinful to do it this way, we should wrap the corpse in a shroud," they said. I accepted this idea and did what was right in their eyes. I asked them for a shroud (white cloth) and the officials moved Tilmann's body out of the plastic bag, which they placed to the side. I took advantage of this opportunity to examine brother Tilmann's body as far down as his stomach. I did not see any knife wounds. Only Tilmann's throat had been slit 8-10 centimeters and there was the stitched autopsy incision down the middle of Tilmann's chest. Unfortunately there are very different rumors circulating about brothers Tilmann and Necati. It has been said that their noses, lips, and ears were cut. These rumors do not reflect the truth. I telephoned our brother in Adana because I knew he had seen brother Tilmann's body. I asked him about the knife wounds on brother Tilmann's body. My brother said to me, "Brother, I came across three or four knife blows in the chest area. I didn't see his back. On his face I can't say there were knife wounds, but scratches, maybe from hitting his face when he fell down." I knew that a brother from Ankara had seen bodies. I asked him which bodies he had seen and he said, "I saw the chest area of both Tilmann and Necati. I saw purple [from bruising] on Necati's lips and chin, but I did not see knife wounds. I looked at brother Tilmann's chest, but I did not see knife wounds." These are the statements of those you saw the bodies of these two brothers.
It is true that our brothers were knifed and tortured. But it was not to the extent of statements such as "too many wounds to count, beyond description." Apparently one brother looked more carefully than we did. He saw three or four knife wounds in the chest.
No one saw brother Ugur's body because on the night of the same day the murder happened, around midnight, his family took his body for burial.
I believe that brother Ugur had knife wounds similar to those of our other two brothers. It has been said that Ugur was stabbed all over his body, including his genitals. I do not believe this. You may ask why I don't beleive this. I think someone stabbed this much would die on the spot. Ugur would not have been able to remain alive until 5:30 PM if he had been stabbed so much. That nothing abnormal happened to Ugur can be understood [from the fact that] exaggerated statements have been about our other two brothers, too.
Therefore we reach the following conclusion: yes, these brothers were tortured, but not to the extent that has been explained.
We are sons and daughters of the truth. Unfortunately unfounded news reports and media exaggerations have now gone out all over the world. Our brothers and sisters and people sensitive [to such news] have been misinformed. We do not intend to offend anyone. But whether the true facts are, let us report them without exaggeration. Let people everywhere think about the plain facts.
Who started these exaggerated facts [about the Malatya massacre]? We purpose two possibilities:
1) Those who perpetrated the crime planned this [the spreading of exaggerated facts] from the beginning and the murderers were simply tools for these people [who had planned to blow the murder into exaggerated proportions]. The goal of those who planned this murder and the exaggerated claims was both to frighten the Christians living in Turkey, causing them to shrink back and be timid, and to humiliate Turkey as a country that invites and causes such bloodthirty massacre, thereby damaging Turkey's chances of entering the European Union and making matters worse in the country. Furthermore, [the planners of this massacre] wanted to give the government and our people the impression that Christians distort and exaggerate everything.
2) In every situation we see that the media either totally disregards something we say or totally exploits it. We investigated the bloody clothing that was submitted to the public as the underclothing of our brothers. None of this clothing belonged to our brothers. That clothing had been taken off the bodies of people shot to death weeks earlier. But what did the media do? They took this clothing and presented it as freshly removed from the bodies of our brothers. Is there anyone who does not yet know about the exaggerations and sometimes boldfaced lies of the media?
Therefore, brothers and sisters, if we do not explain the true facts to you our hearts will not find peace. I have written this report because I have read exaggerated or unfounded facts in news both home and abroad. The true facts are those in this report. Before sending these facts to you, as you will see below, I have requested statements from our brothers. I have had these statments translated to English in order to pass them on to you.
https://blogs.bible.org/clarification-about-the-martyrs-from-turkey-may-1/
Vi saluto nella pace e nell'amore del nostro Signore e Salvatore Gesù Cristo. Possa il Signore benedire abbondantemente te, le tue famiglie, le tue chiese e il tuo lavoro.
Conosciamo e apprezziamo molto il tuo cuore per noi.
Fratelli e sorelle, negli ultimi dieci giorni abbiamo vissuto momenti molto dolorosi, che le parole non riescono a esprimere. La nostra dolorosa esperienza ci ha mostrato che le nostre vite sono come il Signore descrive: "Qual è la tua vita? Perché sei una nebbia che appare per un po 'e poi svanisce". Per questo abbiamo capito ancora una volta quanto dobbiamo vivere la nostra vita santi e vicini al Signore.
Abbiamo anche capito che la nostra società è facilmente soggetta a emozioni e che in momenti così dolorosi alcune persone, intenzionalmente o meno, riportano determinati eventi in modo impreciso e noi non lo abbiamo impedito o non siamo stati in grado di farlo.
Quando è avvenuto il massacro di Malatya noi, i fratelli di Diyarbakir, oltre a quelli già sulla scena al momento del delitto, siamo stati i primi ad arrivarci. Quando siamo arrivati a Malatya, nostro fratello Ugur era ancora vivo, ma le sue condizioni erano critiche. Intorno alle 17:30 Ugur affidò il suo spirito al Signore.
Cari fratelli e sorelle, quel momento doloroso è entrato lentamente in prospettiva per noi così che ora abbiamo iniziato a vedere alcune cose come dovremmo. Ad esempio, sembra che coloro che hanno assassinato o organizzato l'assassinio di questi fratelli stiano ottenendo ciò che speravano. Per mezzo delle nostre reazioni possiamo inconsapevolmente aiutarli. Se non portiamo alla luce i fatti, queste persone finiranno per ottenere ciò che desideravano.
I fratelli Tilmann, Necati e Ugur furono assassinati in modo sanguinario. Questo è un fatto. Ma ci sono anche alcune affermazioni imprecise su questo massacro e una di queste è l'entità della tortura. Secondo alcune indiscrezioni, il fratello Tilmann è stato pugnalato con un coltello 156 volte. Il fratello Ugur ha avuto innumerevoli ferite da coltello, è stato detto. Queste voci, tuttavia, sono infondate. All'obitorio volevamo mettere il corpo del fratello Tilmann, che era in un sacchetto di plastica, nella bara, ma ai funzionari e alla polizia non è piaciuto. "È peccaminoso farlo in questo modo, dovremmo avvolgere il cadavere in un sudario", hanno detto. Ho accettato questa idea e ho fatto ciò che era giusto ai loro occhi. Ho chiesto loro un sudario (panno bianco) e gli ufficiali hanno spostato il corpo di Tilmann fuori dal sacchetto di plastica, che hanno messo di lato. Ho approfittato di questa opportunità per esaminare il corpo di fratello Tilmann fino allo stomaco. Non ho visto ferite da coltello. Solo la gola di Tilmann era stata tagliata di 8-10 centimetri e c'era l'incisione dell'autopsia cucita al centro del torace di Tilmann. Sfortunatamente circolano voci molto diverse sui fratelli Tilmann e Necati. È stato detto che i loro nasi, labbra e orecchie sono stati tagliati. Queste voci non riflettono la verità. Ho telefonato a nostro fratello ad Adana perché sapevo che aveva visto il corpo del fratello Tilmann. Gli ho chiesto delle ferite da coltello sul corpo del fratello Tilmann. Mio fratello mi ha detto: "Fratello, mi sono imbattuto in tre o quattro colpi di coltello nella zona del petto. Non ho visto la sua schiena. Sulla sua faccia non posso dire che ci fossero ferite da coltello, ma graffi, forse faccia quando è caduto. " Sapevo che un fratello di Ankara aveva visto i corpi. Gli ho chiesto quali corpi avesse visto e lui ha detto: "Ho visto l'area del torace sia di Tilmann che di Necati. Ho visto viola [da lividi] sulle labbra e sul mento di Necati, ma non ho visto ferite da coltello. petto, ma non ho visto ferite da coltello ". Queste sono le dichiarazioni di chi ha visto i corpi di questi due fratelli.
È vero che i nostri fratelli furono accoltellati e torturati. Ma non era nella misura di affermazioni come "troppe ferite da contare, oltre ogni descrizione". Apparentemente un fratello ha osservato più attentamente di noi. Vide tre o quattro ferite da coltello nel petto.
Nessuno ha visto il corpo del fratello Ugur perché la notte dello stesso giorno è avvenuto l'omicidio, intorno a mezzanotte, la sua famiglia ha preso il suo corpo per la sepoltura.
Credo che il fratello Ugur avesse ferite da coltello simili a quelle degli altri nostri due fratelli. È stato detto che Ugur è stato pugnalato in tutto il corpo, compresi i genitali. Non ci credo. Potresti chiedermi perché non lo credo. Penso che qualcuno pugnalato così tanto sarebbe morto sul colpo. Ugur non sarebbe stato in grado di sopravvivere fino alle 17:30 se fosse stato accoltellato così tanto. Che non sia successo niente di anormale a Ugur si può capire [dal fatto che] affermazioni esagerate hanno riguardato anche gli altri due nostri fratelli.
Pertanto giungiamo alla seguente conclusione: sì, questi fratelli sono stati torturati, ma non nella misura in cui è stato spiegato.
Siamo figli e figlie della verità. Purtroppo in tutto il mondo sono ormai diffuse notizie infondate ed esagerazioni mediatiche. I nostri fratelli e sorelle e le persone sensibili [a tali notizie] sono state male informate. Non intendiamo offendere nessuno. Ma se i fatti sono veri, riportiamoli senza esagerare. Lascia che le persone pensino ovunque
sui fatti semplici.
Chi ha dato inizio a questi fatti esagerati [sul massacro di Malatya]? Ci proponiamo due possibilità:
1) Coloro che hanno perpetrato il crimine l'hanno pianificato [la diffusione di fatti esagerati] fin dall'inizio e gli assassini erano semplicemente strumenti per queste persone [che avevano progettato di far esplodere l'omicidio in proporzioni esagerate]. L'obiettivo di coloro che hanno pianificato questo omicidio e le affermazioni esagerate era sia di spaventare i cristiani che vivono in Turchia, facendoli indietreggiare e di essere timidi, sia di umiliare la Turchia come un paese che invita e provoca un massacro così sanguinario, danneggiando così le possibilità della Turchia. di entrare nell'Unione Europea e peggiorare le cose nel paese. Inoltre, [gli organizzatori di questo massacro] volevano dare al governo e al nostro popolo l'impressione che i cristiani distorcessero ed esagerassero tutto.
2) In ogni situazione vediamo che i media ignorano totalmente qualcosa che diciamo o lo sfruttano totalmente. Abbiamo indagato sugli indumenti insanguinati che erano stati presentati al pubblico come biancheria intima dei nostri fratelli. Nessuno di questi vestiti apparteneva ai nostri fratelli. Quegli abiti erano stati portati via dai corpi di persone uccise a colpi di arma da fuoco settimane prima. Ma cosa hanno fatto i media? Hanno preso questo vestito e lo hanno presentato come appena rimosso dai corpi dei nostri fratelli. C'è qualcuno che non conosce ancora le esagerazioni e le bugie a volte audaci dei media?
Pertanto, fratelli e sorelle, se non vi spieghiamo i veri fatti il nostro cuore non troverà pace. Ho scritto questo rapporto perché ho letto fatti esagerati o infondati nelle notizie sia in patria che all'estero. I fatti veri sono quelli di questo rapporto. Prima di inviarti questi fatti, come vedrai di seguito, ho richiesto dichiarazioni ai nostri fratelli. Ho fatto tradurre in inglese queste dichiarazioni per trasmetterle a voi.
https://blogs.bible.org/martyrs-murder-trial-in-turkey-nov-6/
Martyrs' Murder Trial in Turkey Nov 6
November 6, 2007 /
Il processo contro coloro che hanno ucciso tre missionari nella Turchia orientale all'inizio dell'anno si sta preparando per iniziare. Questo rapporto ti dà un'idea di come le cose possono funzionare lì. Per quelli di voi che non conoscono il PKK è il partito curdo che negli ultimi decenni ha provocato dolore alla Turchia mentre premevano per la libertà.
Il processo a coloro che all'inizio dell'anno hanno ucciso tre missionari nella Turchia orientale si sta preparando per iniziare. Questo rapporto ti dà un'idea di come le cose possono funzionare lì. Per quelli di voi che non conoscono il PKK è il partito curdo che negli ultimi decenni ha provocato dolore alla Turchia mentre premevano per la libertà. Le recenti tensioni tra USA e Turchia riguardano il ruolo dei curdi e del PKK in Turchia e nel nord dell'Iraq. Hurriyet è uno dei giornali più letti della Turchia. Daremo un occhio a questo processo, così come ad altri siti in cui ha luogo la persecuzione.
Ecco il rapporto dalla Turchia:
ISTANBUL, 5 novembre (Compass Direct News) - La terza corte penale di Malatya ha fissato il 23 novembre per aprire il processo contro i confessati assassini dei cristiani convertiti turchi Necati Aydin e Ugur Yuksel e di un cristiano tedesco, Tilmann Geske. Tutte le notizie sulla stampa turca della scorsa settimana sul processo in corso hanno sensazionalizzato le giustificazioni offerte dagli assassini per i loro crimini durante l'interrogatorio della polizia, comprese accuse inverosimili contro le vittime. I tre cristiani protestanti sono stati torturati e uccisi con tagli alla gola il 18 aprile di quest'anno nell'ufficio della Zirve Publishing Company, nella provincia meridionale di Malatya.
in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per porci! https://blogs.bible.org/martyrs-murder-trial-in-turkey-nov-6/ "È chiaro da queste dichiarazioni dei sospetti che dietro di loro c'è un gruppo di potente influenza", ha detto a Compass il portavoce Isa Karatas dell'Alleanza delle Chiese protestanti in Turchia. "Queste persone vogliono ritrarre i protestanti turchi come nemici della nazione".
The trial of those who murdered three missionaries in Eastern Turkey earlier in the year is getting ready to begin. This report gives you a sense of how things can work there. For those of you who do not know the PKK is the Kurdish Party that has caused Turkey no lack of grief over the last several decades as they press for freedom.
The trial of those who murdered three missionaries in Eastern Turkey earlier in the year is getting ready to begin. This report gives you a sense of how things can work there. For those of you who do not know the PKK is the Kurdish Party that has caused Turkey no lack of grief over the last several decades as they press for freedom. The recent tensions between the USA and Turkey are over the role of the Kurds and the PKK in Turkey and in Northern Iraq. Hurriyet is one of Turkey's most widely read papers. We shall key an eye on this trial, as well as other sites where persecution takes place.
Here is the report from Turkey:
ISTANBUL, November 5 (Compass Direct News) – Malatya's Third Criminal Court has set November 23 to open the trial of the confessed murderers of Turkish convert Christians Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel and a German Christian, Tilmann Geske. All news about the pending trial in the Turkish press last week sensationalized justifications the killers offered for their crimes while under police interrogation, including far-fetched allegations against the victims. The three Protestant Christians were tortured and killed by having their throats cut on April 18 of this year in the Zirve Publishing Company's office in the southern province of Malatya. "It is clear from these statements of the suspects that there is some group of powerful influence behind them," spokesperson Isa Karatas of the Alliance of Protestant Churches in Turkey told Compass. "These people want to portray Turkey's Protestants as enemies of the nation."
**********
Malatya Murder Trial Set to Open in Turkey
Local press sensationalizes killers' justifications for deaths by torture.
by Barbara G. Baker
ISTANBUL, November 5 (Compass Direct News) – Malatya's Third Criminal Court has set November 23 to open the trial of the confessed murderers of Turkish convert Christians Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel and a German Christian, Tilmann Geske.
All news about the pending trial in the Turkish press last week sensationalized justifications the killers offered for their crimes while under police interrogation, including far-fetched allegations against the victims.
The three Protestant Christians were tortured and killed by having their throats cut on April 18 of this year in the Zirve Publishing Company's office in the southern province of Malatya.
After six months of confidential investigations, criminal prosecutors in Malatya had filed formal charges against the five accused killers on October 15, demanding the jailed culprits serve three consecutive life sentences in prison for their crimes.
Defendants Emre Gunaydin, Abuzer Yildirim, Hamit Ceker, Cuma Ozdemir and Salih Guler are accused of founding an armed group and murdering the victims in a deliberate, organized manner. The five killers are 19 and 20 years old.
An additional seven persons have also been charged for allegedly "aiding and abetting" the murder culprits. According to reports in the Turkish media, these seven unnamed suspects have not been arrested.
News on the pending trial date in the Turkish press sensationalized some scandalous allegations appearing in the killers' official interrogation statements. All the reports were based primarily on an initial release from the Anatolian Agency, a semi-official news source close to the government.
One headline of one of the most repeated claims read, "Missionaries were linked with the PKK," highlighting the murderers' claim that the three Christians had "praised" the violent, separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
The terrorist PKK group has killed more than 40 Turkish soldiers and civilians during the past month near Turkey's southern border with Iraq. At least 30,000 Turkish citizens have died in clashes between the PKK and the Turkish military since 1984.
Sabah newspaper's headline quoted Emre Gunaydin, the alleged ringleader of the five killers, as saying, "We committed murder out of fear they would harm our families."
One newspaper, the widely circulated Hurriyet, targeted a Protestant pastor in western Turkey by naming him in its headline. The report quoted Gunaydin's claim that he had planned to travel to kill the pastor once they had murdered the other three.
Most of the news reports also repeated Gunaydin's claim that the Christians were forcing local girls into prostitution.
"It is clear from these statements of the suspects that there is some group of powerful influence behind them," spokesperson Isa Karatas of the Alliance of Protestant Churches in Turkey told Compass. "These people want to portray Turkey's Protestants as enemies of the nation.
"At the same time," he added, "because honor is such an important concept in our culture, they are trying to accuse us of having weak morals, so that they can find a justification for their murders."
The slayers had claimed the motive for the gruesome torture and murder of Aydin, Yuksel and Geske was to stop Christians from defaming Islam and the Turkish nation.
The three Christian victims left behind two widows, five fatherless children and a fiancée.
Il processo per omicidio di Malatya si apre in Turchia
La stampa locale sensazionalizza le giustificazioni degli assassini per la morte per tortura.
di Barbara G. Baker
ISTANBUL, 5 novembre (Compass Direct News) - La terza corte penale di Malatya ha fissato il 23 novembre per aprire il processo contro i confessati assassini dei cristiani convertiti turchi Necati Aydin e Ugur Yuksel e di un cristiano tedesco, Tilmann Geske.
in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per porci! la enfatizzazione dei delitti sharia fa sembrare eroi nazionali i responsabili di questo efferato delitto, perché gli eroi hanno ubbidito al Corano! Tutte le notizie sulla stampa turca della scorsa settimana sul processo in corso hanno sensazionalizzato le giustificazioni offerte dagli assassini per i loro crimini durante l'interrogatorio della polizia, comprese accuse inverosimili contro le vittime. in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per porci! https://blogs.bible.org/martyrs-murder-trial-in-turkey-nov-6/
I tre cristiani protestanti sono stati torturati e uccisi con tagli alla gola il 18 aprile di quest'anno nell'ufficio della Zirve Publishing Company, nella provincia meridionale di Malatya.
in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per porci! https://blogs.bible.org/martyrs-murder-trial-in-turkey-nov-6/
Dopo sei mesi di indagini riservate, il 15 ottobre i pubblici ministeri di Malatya avevano presentato accuse formali contro i cinque assassini accusati, chiedendo ai colpevoli di scontare tre ergastoli consecutivi per i loro crimini.
in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per porci! https://blogs.bible.org/martyrs-murder-trial-in-turkey-nov-6/
Gli imputati Emre Gunaydin, Abuzer Yildirim, Hamit Ceker, Cuma Ozdemir e Salih Guler sono accusati di aver fondato un gruppo armato e di aver ucciso le vittime in modo deliberato e organizzato. I cinque assassini hanno 19 e 20 anni. https://blogs.bible.org/martyrs-murder-trial-in-turkey-nov-6/
in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per porci! https://blogs.bible.org/martyrs-murder-trial-in-turkey-nov-6/
Altre sette persone sono state anche accusate di "favoreggiamento" dei colpevoli dell'omicidio. ma , questi sette sospetti anonimi non sono stati arrestati (perché hanno problemi mentali come Erdogan).
Le notizie sulla data del processo in sospeso sulla stampa turca hanno sensazionalizzato alcune accuse scandalose che compaiono nelle dichiarazioni ufficiali degli interrogatori degli assassini. Tutti i rapporti si basavano principalmente su un rilascio iniziale dell'Anatolian Agency, una fonte di notizie semi-ufficiale vicina al governo.
Un titolo di una delle affermazioni più ripetute diceva: "I missionari erano collegati al PKK", sottolineando l'affermazione degli assassini secondo cui i tre cristiani avevano "lodato" il violento e separatista Partito dei lavoratori del Kurdistan (PKK).
Il gruppo terroristico del PKK ha ucciso più di 40 soldati e civili turchi durante lo scorso mese vicino al confine meridionale della Turchia con l'Iraq. Almeno 30.000 cittadini turchi sono morti negli scontri tra il PKK e l'esercito turco dal 1984.
Il titolo del quotidiano Sabah citava Emre Gunaydin, il presunto capobanda dei cinque assassini, che diceva: "Abbiamo commesso un omicidio per paura che danneggiassero le nostre famiglie".
Un giornale, il diffusissimo Hurriyet, ha preso di mira un pastore protestante nella Turchia occidentale nominandolo nel titolo. Il rapporto citava l'affermazione di Gunaydin secondo cui aveva programmato di viaggiare per uccidere il pastore una volta che avessero ucciso gli altri tre.
La maggior parte delle notizie ha anche ripetuto l'affermazione di Gunaydin secondo cui i cristiani stavano costringendo le ragazze locali a prostituirsi.
"È chiaro da queste dichiarazioni dei sospetti che dietro di loro c'è un gruppo di potente influenza", ha detto a Compass il portavoce Isa Karatas dell'Alleanza delle Chiese protestanti in Turchia. "Queste persone vogliono ritrarre i protestanti turchi come nemici della nazione.
"Allo stesso tempo", ha aggiunto, "poiché l'onore è un concetto così importante nella nostra cultura, stanno cercando di accusarci di avere una morale debole, in modo che possano trovare una giustificazione per i loro omicidi".
Gli assassini avevano affermato che il motivo delle macabre torture e dell'omicidio di Aydin, Yuksel e Geske era quello di impedire ai cristiani di diffamare l'Islam e la nazione turca.
Le tre vittime cristiane hanno lasciato due vedove, cinque orfani di padre e una fidanzata. ____________
Copyright 2007 Compass Direct News
Compass Direct Flash News is distributed as available to raise awareness of Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith. Articles may be reprinted by active subscribers only.
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JO ANNE
NOVEMBER 6, 2007 AT 5:42 PM
The PKK has been in the news
The PKK has been in the news quite a lot these last weeks, but this article makes the problems there more personal. More ethnic problems among the Kurds and Turkey? As is common now-a-days, there doesn't seem to be any satisfactory solutions to the political turmoil within that entire region.
What a horrible murder! While I was reading, all I could think of was that this had once been the home of the 7 Churches of Revelation and one of the centers of Paul's missionary activity.
Does anyone know how extensive the Christian population is there?
BOCK
NOVEMBER 6, 2007 AT 7:23 PM
Population In Turkey dlb
I am not sure how well populated this eastern region is for Christians. Not as concentrated as in the West of Turkey for sure and less than 1% of Turkey is Christian! Something like 5000 Christians in a country of 80 million– and most of these are in the western part of Turkey. This was a region of missionary activity almost starting from scratch.
dlb
NICODUCA
FEBRUARY 26, 2008 AT 7:40 PM
The decision to reopen a
The decision to reopen a murder case which involved the killing of three Christian workers in Turkey by the Turkish Interior Ministry is describe as a test case by a Christian persecution-monitoring ministry.
Glenn Penner, a spokesperson from the Voice of the Martyr Canada, said the re-opening of the case, where the Ministry is currently conducting a judicial investigation into the state prosecutors mishandling of the murder trial, would determine whether Christians living in the Muslim-majority country would feel as a full-fledge citizen or not.
"If the killers are allowed to simply get away with lesser charges, or it's seen that these murders were somehow justified on the basis that these Christians were involved in missionary activity, then Turkish Christians are certainly going to feel that they're not equal members of society, and that their religious activities are going to continue to be under threat," Mr. Penner told the Mission Network News (MNN).
This case illustrated, Mr. Penner continued, whether the Turkish government was serious about defending the rights of Christians living in the country which has the aspiration of joining the European Union.
John Candelin, the executive director of the Religious Liberty Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), had sent a letter to the Turkish Prime Minister, which called on him to come out publicly to state the missionary activities carried out by Christians were good.
Furthermore, the WEA was also helping the families of the three Christian martyrs killed by the Muslim fanatic by helping to fund the children' education.
__________________________
Submited by :
TRAFFIC101
NOVEMBER 24, 2008 AT 10:25 AM
The war is not over for
The war is not over for Christians and muslims.I wonder whats the fuzz between these two.Violence should be stop,many people and mostly innocent ones are affected.
https://blogs.bible.org/martyrs-murder-trial-in-turkey-nov-6/
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www.compassdirect.org
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Defendant Testifies in Turkish Martyrs' Murders Jan 23 08
January 23, 2008 / Comments Offon Defendant Testifies in Turkish Martyrs' Murders Jan 23 08
https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
The murder trials of those accused of killing three Christians in Malatya, Turkey continues. Direct Compass issued this summary of the trial today. We have been watching this situation closely. So here is the full update:
The murder trials of those accused of killing three Christians in Malatya, Turkey continues. Direct Compass issued this summary of the trial today. We have been watching this situation closely. So here is the full update:
FLASH from COMPASS DIRECT NEWS
News from the Frontlines of Persecution
Proseguono i processi per omicidio degli accusati di aver ucciso tre cristiani a Malatya, in Turchia. Direct Compass ha pubblicato oggi questo riassunto del processo. Abbiamo osservato da vicino questa situazione. Quindi ecco l'aggiornamento completo:
Proseguono i processi per omicidio di coloro che sono accusati di aver ucciso tre cristiani a Malatya, in Turchia. Direct Compass ha pubblicato oggi questo riassunto del processo. Abbiamo osservato da vicino questa situazione. Quindi ecco l'aggiornamento completo:
FLASH da COMPASS DIRECT NEWS
Notizie dal fronte della persecuzione
MALATYA, Turchia, 23 gennaio (Compass Direct News) - Il primo dei cinque giovani musulmani turchi sotto processo per aver torturato e ucciso tre cristiani nella Turchia orientale si è presentato la scorsa settimana al banco dei testimoni, negando energicamente che il gruppo avesse pianificato di uccidere gli evangelici. Nella testimonianza agghiacciante delle ultime ore di Necati Aydin, Ugur Yuksel e Tilmann Geske, il killer accusato Hamit Ceker ha dichiarato lunedì (14 gennaio) davanti al terzo tribunale penale di Malatya che durante il feroce attacco all'ufficio della Zirve Publishing Company il 18 aprile, ha visto il leader il sospetto Emre Gunaydin ha tagliato la gola a due cristiani. Sebbene Ceker abbia testimoniato di aver portato con sé pistole, una lunga sezione di corda e che ognuno di loro portava un coltello appena acquistato, un paio di guanti di plastica e un jawshan islamico (iscrizione di preghiera protettiva), ha insistito che lo scopo dell'operazione era per sequestrare prove incriminanti contro i cristiani, non per ucciderli. Ha detto di aver visto Gunaydin uccidere Geske e Aydin ma non era a conoscenza di come sia morto Yuksel. "Non ho visto come è stato ucciso Ugur", ha detto Ceker. "L'ho appena sentito gridare: 'Gesù!'"
Notizie dal fronte della persecuzioneSummary:
MALATYA, Turkey, January 23 (Compass Direct News) – The first of five young Turkish Muslims on trial for torturing and killing three Christians in eastern Turkey took the witness stand last week, vigorously denying that the group had planned to kill the evangelicals. In chilling testimony of the final hours of Necati Aydin, Ugur Yuksel and Tilmann Geske, accused killer Hamit Ceker stated before Malatya's Third Criminal Court on Monday (January 14) that during the savage attack on Zirve Publishing Company's office on April 18, he saw leading suspect Emre Gunaydin slit the throats of two of the Christians. Although Ceker testified that they had brought along guns, a lengthy section of rope, and that each of them carried a newly purchased knife, a pair of plastic gloves and an Islamic jawshan (protective prayer inscription), he insisted the purpose of the operation was to seize incriminating evidence against the Christians, not to kill them. He said he saw Gunaydin kill Geske and Aydin but was unaware of how Yuksel died. "I didn't see how Ugur was killed," Ceker said. "I just heard him cry out, 'Jesus!'"
https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
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in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
International Monitoring in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Turkish Murder Suspects Blame Alleged Ringleader
Young Muslim says intent was not to kill but to seize evidence against three Christians.
by Barbara G. Baker
MALATYA, Turkey, January 23 (Compass Direct News) – The first of five young Turkish Muslims on trial for torturing and killing three Christians in eastern Turkey took the witness stand last week, vigorously denying that the group had planned to kill the evangelicals.
In chilling testimony of the final hours of Necati Aydin, Ugur Yuksel and Tilmann Geske, accused killer Hamit Ceker stated before Malatya's Third Criminal Court on Monday (January 14) , that during the savage attack on Zirve Publishing Company's office on April 18, he saw leading suspect Emre Gunaydin slit the throats of two of the Christians.
Denying that the group of young conspirators had planned to kill the two former Muslims who had converted to Christianity or their German colleague, Ceker told the judge that the confrontation turned "tense" when Aydin, who pastored a small Protestant congregation in Malatya, declared to the five young Muslims, "We are all the children of Jesus."
But the defendant claimed that he himself had no part in killing the three Christians. Although Ceker testified that they had brought along guns and a lengthy section of rope, and that each of them carried a newly purchased knife, a pair of plastic gloves and an Islamic jawshan (protective prayer inscription), he insisted the purpose of the operation was to seize incriminating evidence against the Christians, not to kill them.
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Monitoraggio internazionale
in Turchia I cristiani sono carne per i suini! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testify-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Sospetti di omicidio turco incolpano il presunto capobanda
Il giovane musulmano dice che l'intento non era quello di uccidere, ma quello di sequestrare prove contro tre cristiani.
di Barbara G. Baker
MALATYA, Turchia, 23 gennaio (Compass Direct News) - Il primo dei cinque giovani musulmani turchi sotto processo per aver torturato e ucciso tre cristiani nella Turchia orientale si è presentato la scorsa settimana al banco dei testimoni, negando energicamente che il gruppo avesse pianificato di uccidere gli evangelici.
Nella testimonianza agghiacciante delle ultime ore di Necati Aydin, Ugur Yuksel e Tilmann Geske, il killer accusato Hamit Ceker ha dichiarato lunedì (14 gennaio) davanti al terzo tribunale penale di Malatya, che durante il feroce attacco all'ufficio della Zirve Publishing Company il 18 aprile, ha visto Il principale sospettato Emre Gunaydin ha tagliato la gola a due cristiani.
Negando che il gruppo di giovani cospiratori avesse pianificato di uccidere i due ex musulmani che si erano convertiti al cristianesimo o il loro collega tedesco, Ceker ha detto al giudice che lo scontro è diventato "teso" quando Aydin, pastore di una piccola congregazione protestante a Malatya, ha dichiarato di i cinque giovani musulmani: "Siamo tutti figli di Gesù".
Ma l'imputato ha affermato di non aver avuto alcun ruolo nell'uccidere i tre cristiani. Sebbene Ceker abbia testimoniato di aver portato con sé armi da fuoco e una lunga sezione di corda, e che ognuno di loro portava un coltello appena acquistato, un paio di guanti di plastica e un jawshan islamico (iscrizione di preghiera protettiva), ha insistito che lo scopo dell'operazione era per sequestrare prove incriminanti contro i cristiani, non per ucciderli.
in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
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Ha testimoniato che lui e alcuni degli altri avevano cercato di persuadere Gunaydin a lasciare gli uomini legati sul pavimento e scappare.
"No, ora mi conoscono", ha risposto Gunaydin, secondo Ceker. "Non me ne andrò senza ucciderli."
Ceker ha testimoniato che Gunaydin ha poi ordinato al sospetto Salih Gurler di strangolare Aydin. Quando Gurler ha provato ma alla fine si è arreso e ha detto che non poteva farlo, il capobanda è andato prontamente e ha iniziato a pugnalare Aydin, tagliandogli la gola, ha detto Ceker.
Gunaydin ha quindi preso un asciugamano per coprire il viso di Geske e gli ha tagliato la gola, ha detto Ceker, aggiungendo che non era a conoscenza di come sia morto Yuksel.
"Non ho visto come è stato ucciso Ugur", ha detto Ceker. "L'ho appena sentito gridare: 'Gesù!'"
Yuksel, un uomo di 32 anni di un villaggio vicino a Elazig, si è fidanzato per sposarsi, è morto in ospedale diverse ore dopo che Ceker ha finalmente aperto la porta e si è arreso alla polizia. Aydin, 35 anni, padre di due figli, e Geske, 46 anni, padre di tre figli, erano già morti, i loro corpi mutilati con molteplici coltellate.
A quel punto, ha detto Ceker, Gunaydin aveva cercato di scappare dal balcone del terzo piano, cadendo a terra e subendo gravi ferite.
Sotto interrogatorio del suo avvocato difensore, Ceker ha affermato di essere stato intimidito dalle minacce di Gunaydin di danneggiare lui e la sua famiglia se non avesse collaborato al complotto per esporre e porre fine alle attività missionarie cristiane a Malatya.
He testified that he and some of the others had tried to persuade Gunaydin to leave the men tied up on the floor and escape.
"No, they know me now," Gunaydin replied, according to Ceker. "I won't leave without killing them."
Ceker testified that Gunaydin then ordered suspect Salih Gurler to strangle Aydin. When Gurler tried but finally gave up and said he couldn't do it, the ringleader promptly went over and began stabbing Aydin, slashing his throat, Ceker said.
Gunaydin then took a towel to cover Geske's face and cut his throat, Ceker said, adding that he was unaware of how Yuksel died.
"I didn't see how Ugur was killed," Ceker said. "I just heard him cry out, 'Jesus!'"
A 32-year-old man from a village near Elazig engaged to be married, Yuksel died in a hospital several hours after Ceker finally unlocked the door and surrendered to the police. Aydin, 35, father of two children, and Geske, 46, a father of three, were already dead, their bodies mutilated with multiple stab wounds.
By that time, Ceker said, Gunaydin had tried to escape over the third floor balcony, falling to the pavement and suffering serious injuries.
Under cross-examination from his defense lawyer, Ceker claimed he had been intimidated by Gunaydin's threats to harm him and his family if he did not cooperate in the plot to expose and put a halt to Christian missionary activities in Malatya.
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International Monitoring in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Police Complicity
Ceker also said that Gunaydin was known to have close relations with the local police chief, so he was reluctant to report the ringleader's plot to the police. But he admitted that the night before, he and another of the defendants had sat in the hall of their dormitory, writing a letter to their families in case things did not turn out well.
"We thought that we might not come back from this incident, and that whether we returned or not, it was going to come back on our heads," Ceker said.
Ceker confirmed under questioning that the group had performed special Muslim "thanksgiving prayers" together early on the morning of the murders. But he said he didn't know the meaning of that ritual nor why they did it.
In answer to his lawyer's question as to whether he had in any way "helped the men who were tied up on the floor," Ceker claimed he had loosened the cords tightly binding Yuksel's wrists, and even slipped a packet under his head.
Ceker's comments, which came near the close of the 10-hour hearing, brought a verbal outburst from Semse Aydin, widow of Necati Aydin and a plaintiff in the case.
"They went there to kill our husbands, and then they say they did things to make them comfortable!" the widow cried out in the courtroom. "This is contemptible!"
After a second outburst moments later, the widow was ordered out of the courtroom by Judge Eray Gurtekin, although he recalled her moments later when plaintiff lawyers protested.
Complicità della polizia
Ceker ha anche detto che Gunaydin era noto per avere stretti rapporti con il capo della polizia locale, quindi era riluttante a denunciare il complotto del capobanda alla polizia. Ma ha ammesso che la sera prima lui e un altro degli imputati si erano seduti nell'atrio del loro dormitorio, scrivendo una lettera alle loro famiglie nel caso in cui le cose non fossero andate bene.
"Abbiamo pensato che non saremmo potuti tornare indietro da questo incidente, e che se fossimo tornati o no, sarebbe tornato sulle nostre teste", ha detto Ceker.
Ceker ha confermato sotto interrogatorio che il gruppo aveva eseguito insieme speciali "preghiere di ringraziamento" musulmane la mattina presto degli omicidi. Ma ha detto che non conosceva il significato di quel rituale né perché lo facessero.
In risposta alla domanda del suo avvocato sul fatto che avesse in qualche modo "aiutato gli uomini che erano legati sul pavimento", Ceker affermò di aver allentato le corde che legavano strettamente i polsi di Yuksel e gli fece persino scivolare un pacchetto sotto la testa.
I commenti di Ceker, che si sono avvicinati alla chiusura dell'udienza di 10 ore, hanno provocato un'esplosione verbale da parte di Semse Aydin, vedova di Necati Aydin e querelante nel caso.
"Sono andati lì per uccidere i nostri mariti, e poi dicono che hanno fatto cose per metterli a loro agio!" gridò la vedova in aula. "Questo è spregevole!"
Dopo un secondo sfogo, pochi istanti dopo, il giudice Eray Gurtekin ha ordinato alla vedova di uscire dall'aula, anche se la ricordò pochi istanti dopo, quando gli avvocati della parte attrice protestarono.International Monitoring in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
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International Monitoring in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Anti-Christian Rhetoric
Prior to Ceker's testimony, two young men accused of involvement in the murder plot were called to the witness stand, one by one. The judge ordered all other defendants removed from the courtroom to prevent them from hearing and influencing each others' testimonies.
Suspect Kursat Kocadag admitted that Gunaydin had started talking against Christians to him about four months before the murders.
In a local café, Gunaydin had complained to him and other students that there were 49 "house churches" in Malatya, and that these Christian missionary activities represented a strong threat to Islam and Turkish society, he said.
He showed Kocadag a book entitled More Than a Carpenter, declaring that it "slandered Allah, our prophet and our book," Kocadag said.
"He said that we needed to penetrate them, to find out where they were getting their money, from what businessmen, and if necessary to become martyrs and kill them," Kocadag told the court.
Six weeks before the killings, Kocadag said, he agreed to hide in his home a pistol that Gunaydin gave him, saying he was afraid authorities might search his student dormitory and find it. The night before the murders, Gunaydin collected the gun, later found at the scene of the crime, from Kocadag's home.
He also went with Gunaydin to some meetings of the Nur sect of Islam, where he said about 25 university students were studying the books of Said-i Nursi, a Sufi mystic influential in Turkish politics in the mid-20th century.
Under questioning, Kocadag said that Gunaydin was not very religiously observant and admitted that he himself did nothing more than Friday prayers.
But when Kocadag refused to join Gunaydin in his plan to spy on and intimidate Christians in Malatya, he said Gunaydin stopped talking to him about it any more.
'Others' Supporting Plot
Along with murder suspect Ceker, Kocadag denied that he had any information as to who Gunaydin may have been referring to when he mentioned "others" who were supporting and encouraging the anti-missionary plot.
The second youth charged with conspiring with the murderers, Mehmet Gokce, promptly identified himself as the son of a local policeman.
Gokce claimed that he had very little contact or relationship with Gunaydin, whose family lived opposite his computer shop where he sold CDs and repaired computers.
According to Gokce, Gunaydin had simply asked him if he could help him copy a computer hard disk containing information about missionaries.
He just thought Gunaydin was "goofing around" when he said he would use the word "apple" instead of "computer" in any mobile telephone messages about the hard disk he wanted to get copied, Gokce said. He claimed he had no knowledge whatever of the group's criminal plans.
For the first time, Yuksel's mother and aging father, who suffered a severe stroke several months after his youngest son's murder, were able to attend the trial.
At one point mid-morning, as the defendants filed out of the courtroom under heavy guard, Yuksel's mother shouted at them from a nearby bench of observers, "Is your conscience troubled? Can you sleep at night?"
In comments headlined by the Turkish press the next day, widow Susanne Geske declared that she and her children who are still living in Malatya wanted to visit the murderers in prison.
"We want to meet with the killers, but I am waiting for the right time," she said. "I don't want to ask them questions; I just have something to say. My children are asking, 'When will we go to them?'"
On the eve of the second hearing, the two widows agreed for the first time since the week of the murders to be interviewed on Turkish television. The taped interviews sharing their memories of their husbands appeared on CNNTURK the evening of the trial.
International Monitoring in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Anti-Christian Rhetoric
Retorica anticristiana
Prima della testimonianza di Ceker, due giovani accusati di coinvolgimento nel complotto dell'omicidio sono stati chiamati al banco dei testimoni, uno per uno. Il giudice ha ordinato a tutti gli altri imputati di allontanarsi dall'aula per impedire loro di ascoltare e influenzare le reciproche testimonianze.
Il sospetto Kursat Kocadag ha ammesso che Gunaydin aveva iniziato a parlargli contro i cristiani circa quattro mesi prima degli omicidi.
In un caffè locale, Gunaydin si era lamentato con lui e altri studenti che a Malatya c'erano 49 "chiese domestiche" e che queste attività missionarie cristiane rappresentavano una forte minaccia per l'Islam e la società turca, ha detto.
Ha mostrato a Kocadag un libro intitolato More Than a Carpenter, dichiarando che "calunniava Allah, il nostro profeta e il nostro libro", ha detto Kocadag.
"Ha detto che dovevamo penetrarli, scoprire dove prendevano i soldi, da quali uomini d'affari e, se necessario, diventare martiri e ucciderli", ha detto Kocadag alla corte.
Sei settimane prima degli omicidi, ha detto Kocadag, ha accettato di nascondere a casa sua una pistola che Gunaydin gli aveva dato, dicendo che aveva paura che le autorità potessero perquisire il suo dormitorio studentesco e trovarla. La notte prima degli omicidi, Gunaydin ha ritirato la pistola, poi ritrovata sulla scena del crimine, dalla casa di Kocadag.
È anche andato con Gunaydin ad alcuni incontri della setta dell'Islam Nur, dove ha detto che circa 25 studenti universitari stavano studiando i libri di Said-i Nursi, un mistico sufi influente nella politica turca nella metà del XX secolo.
Interrogato, Kocadag ha detto che Gunaydin non era molto religioso osservante e ha ammesso di non aver fatto altro che le preghiere del venerdì.
Ma quando Kocadag ha rifiutato di unirsi a Gunaydin nel suo piano per spiare e intimidire i cristiani a Malatya, ha detto che Gunaydin ha smesso di parlargli ancora.
Trama di supporto "Altri"
Insieme al sospetto di omicidio Ceker, Kocadag ha negato di avere alcuna informazione su chi Gunaydin potesse riferirsi quando ha menzionato "altri" che stavano sostenendo e incoraggiando il complotto anti-missionario.
Il secondo giovane accusato di cospirazione con gli assassini, Mehmet Gokce, si è prontamente identificato come figlio di un poliziotto locale.
Gokce ha affermato di avere pochissimi contatti o rapporti con Gunaydin, la cui famiglia viveva di fronte al suo negozio di computer dove vendeva CD e riparava computer.
Secondo Gokce, Gunaydin gli aveva semplicemente chiesto se poteva aiutarlo a copiare un disco rigido del computer contenente informazioni sui missionari.
Pensava solo che Gunaydin stesse "scherzando" quando ha detto che avrebbe usato la parola "mela" invece di "computer" in tutti i messaggi di telefonia mobile sul disco rigido che voleva che gli fosse copiato, ha detto Gokce. Ha affermato di non avere alcuna conoscenza dei piani criminali del gruppo.
Per la prima volta, la madre e l'anziano padre di Yuksel, che hanno subito un grave ictus diversi mesi dopo l'omicidio del figlio più giovane, hanno potuto assistere al processo.
A un certo punto a metà mattina, mentre gli imputati uscivano dall'aula sotto stretta sorveglianza, la madre di Yuksel gridò loro da un vicino banco di osservatori:
"La vostra coscienza è turbata? Puoi dormire la notte? "
Nei commenti titolati dalla stampa turca il giorno successivo, la vedova Susanne Geske ha dichiarato che lei ei suoi figli che vivono ancora a Malatya volevano visitare gli assassini in prigione.
"Vogliamo incontrare gli assassini, ma sto aspettando il momento giusto", ha detto. "Non voglio fare loro domande; Ho solo qualcosa da dire. I miei figli chiedono: "Quando andremo da loro?" "
Alla vigilia della seconda udienza, le due vedove hanno accettato per la prima volta dalla settimana degli omicidi di essere intervistate dalla televisione turca. Le interviste registrate che condividevano i ricordi dei loro mariti sono apparse su CNNTURK la sera del processo.
International Monitoring in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
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il depistaggio della corte turca, ha citato il rifiuto della corte di consegnare le prove chiave nel fascicolo dell'accusa, inclusi documenti, CD e fotografie che Cengiz ha detto sono tutti cruciali "per interrogare adeguatamente gli imputati". International Monitoring in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Exposing Masterminds
Geske also reiterated that she did not believe that the slaughter was plotted only by the five young men. "I want to know who put these five people up to this, to find those who are 'behind the curtain,'" she said.
According to attorney Orhan Kemal Cengiz, leading the team of plaintiff lawyers, it is vital to identify the perpetrators behind the attack.
Cengiz told Compass after the hearing that he and his colleagues were "irritated and very angry" about the killings themselves, as well as the prosecution's investigation and judiciary handling of the case.
In particular, he cited the court's refusal to hand over key evidence in the prosecution file, including documents, CDs and photographs that Cengiz said are all crucial "in order to question the defendants properly."
Last week the judge also denied permission to record the court proceedings, which would provide a complete text of all the oral arguments rather than just an abbreviated summary.
Formal requests to remove 16 files of information about the religious activities of the three Christians, and to charge the perpetrators with "religious genocide," were also denied.
Esporre le menti
Geske ha anche ribadito che non credeva che il massacro fosse stato tramato solo dai cinque giovani. "Voglio sapere chi ha messo queste cinque persone fino a questo, per trovare quelli che sono 'dietro le quinte'", ha detto.
Secondo l'avvocato Orhan Kemal Cengiz, a capo del team di avvocati ricorrenti, è fondamentale identificare gli autori dell'attacco.
Cengiz ha detto a Compass dopo l'udienza che lui ei suoi colleghi erano "irritati e molto arrabbiati" per gli omicidi stessi, così come per le indagini dell'accusa e per la gestione giudiziaria del caso.
In particolare, ha citato il rifiuto della corte di consegnare le prove chiave nel fascicolo dell'accusa, inclusi documenti, CD e fotografie che Cengiz ha detto sono tutti cruciali "per interrogare adeguatamente gli imputati".
La scorsa settimana il giudice ha anche negato il permesso di registrare i procedimenti giudiziari, il che fornirebbe un testo completo di tutte le argomentazioni orali piuttosto che un semplice riassunto abbreviato.
Sono state negate anche le richieste formali di rimuovere 16 file di informazioni sulle attività religiose dei tre cristiani e di accusare gli autori di "genocidio religioso".==============
The Malatya court has refused to accept as evidence the video films from surveillance cameras placed in Gunaydin's hospital room during the month he was recovering from his injuries, before he was sent to prison. According to plaintiff lawyers, the police deliberately failed to submit the tapes within the required 24-hour limit and also did not obtain formal court permission to film the suspect.
https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
In still another "scandal" that made headlines in the Turkish media, police officials reportedly ignored standard forensic procedures by putting all the blood-stained clothes of the suspects into one container to be sent to the Ankara Criminal Laboratory, making it impossible to distinguish which individuals had the different victims' blood on their clothing.
Near the close of last week's hearing, plaintiff lawyers requested that the police investigation files regarding Necati Aydin's brother-in-law, a pastor in Izmit whom Gunaydin had reportedly vowed to kill after the Malatya murders, be added to the Malatya case.
Sono state negate anche le richieste formali di rimuovere 16 file di informazioni sulle attività religiose dei tre cristiani e di accusare gli autori di "genocidio religioso".
Il tribunale di Malatya ha rifiutato di accettare come prova i filmati delle telecamere di sorveglianza posizionati nella stanza d'ospedale di Gunaydin durante il mese in cui si stava riprendendo dalle ferite, prima di essere mandato in prigione. Secondo gli avvocati dell'attore, la polizia ha deliberatamente omesso di presentare i nastri entro il limite di 24 ore richiesto e inoltre non ha ottenuto il permesso formale del tribunale di filmare il sospetto.
https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testify-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
In un altro "scandalo" che ha fatto notizia sui media turchi, i funzionari di polizia avrebbero ignorato le procedure forensi standard mettendo tutti i vestiti macchiati di sangue dei sospettati in un contenitore da inviare al Laboratorio criminale di Ankara, rendendo impossibile distinguere quale le persone avevano il sangue delle diverse vittime sui loro vestiti.
Verso la fine dell'udienza della scorsa settimana, gli avvocati del querelante hanno chiesto che i file delle indagini della polizia riguardanti il cognato di Necati Aydin, un pastore a Izmit che Gunaydin avrebbe giurato di uccidere dopo gli omicidi Malatya, fossero aggiunti al caso Malatya.======================
International Monitoring in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
In addition to relatives of the three victims, the January 14 hearing was observed by international press and television crews from Holland, Germany and the United States, as well as representatives from two non-governmental human rights organizations, a German diplomat and several leaders of the Turkish Alliance of Protestant Churches.
in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
After a flood of media reports late last year, the Turkish Interior Ministry on December 8 opened a judicial investigation into allegations of a seriously flawed investigation by Malatya's state prosecutors of alleged collusion of public officials in the murders. in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
The following week, the Tuvelopment Party, spoke briefly to the press after observing the first few hours of the January 14 hearing.
"Everyone in Turkey has freerkish Foreign Ministry confirmed that the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on Religious Freedom and Tolerance was actively monitoring the Malatya case. in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Dr. Zafer Uskul, head of the Turkish Parliament's Human Rights Investigation Commission and a member of the ruling Justice and Dedom of religion and belief," Uskul said. But he also admitted, "People in society need to be more tolerant. Particularly young people need to be educated on the subject of freedom of religion and belief." in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Monitoraggio internazionale in Turchia I cristiani sono carne per i suini! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testify-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Oltre ai parenti delle tre vittime, l'udienza del 14 gennaio è stata osservata dalla stampa internazionale e dalle troupe televisive di Olanda, Germania e Stati Uniti, nonché rappresentanti di due organizzazioni non governative per i diritti umani, un diplomatico tedesco e diversi leader di l'Alleanza turca delle chiese protestanti.
in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per i suini! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testify-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Dopo una marea di resoconti dei media alla fine dell'anno scorso, l'8 dicembre il ministero dell'Interno turco ha aperto un'indagine giudiziaria sulle accuse di un'indagine gravemente imperfetta da parte dei procuratori di Stato di Malatya sulla presunta collusione di funzionari pubblici negli omicidi. in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per i suini! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testify-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
La settimana successiva, il Tuvelopment Party, ha parlato brevemente alla stampa dopo aver osservato le prime ore dell'udienza del 14 gennaio.
"Tutti in Turchia hanno un ministero degli Esteri freerkish che ha confermato che il Relatore speciale delle Nazioni Unite sulla libertà religiosa e la tolleranza stava monitorando attivamente il caso Malatya. in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per i suini! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testify-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
Il dottor Zafer Uskul, capo della Commissione investigativa sui diritti umani del parlamento turco e membro della sentenza Giustizia e libertà di religione e credo ", ha detto Uskul. Ma ha anche ammesso: "Le persone nella società devono essere più tolleranti. In particolare i giovani hanno bisogno di essere istruiti sul tema della libertà di religione e credo ". in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per i suini! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testify-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
in Turkey Christians are meat for swine! https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testifies-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/ The court is scheduled to resume interrogation of the remaining four suspects on February 25. The Malatya massacre is the third in a chain of three deadly attacks against Turkey's tiny Christian minority in the past two years. Italian Catholic priest Fr. Andrea Santoro was shot to death while kneeling after mass in his church in Trabzon in February 2006, followed by the assassination of Armenian Christian editor Hrant Dink at the entrance of his newspaper office in Istanbul on January 19, 2007. The assailants in both cases were teenagers. in Turchia i cristiani sono carne per porci! Il tribunale dovrebbe riprendere l'interrogatorio dei restanti quattro sospetti il 25 febbraio. Il massacro di Malatya è il terzo di una catena di tre attacchi mortali contro la piccola minoranza cristiana della Turchia negli ultimi due anni. Sacerdote cattolico italiano p. Andrea Santoro è stato ucciso a colpi di arma da fuoco mentre era inginocchiato dopo la messa nella sua chiesa a Trabzon nel febbraio 2006, seguito dall'assassinio del direttore armeno cristiano Hrant Dink all'ingresso della sua redazione di giornale a Istanbul il 19 gennaio 2007. Gli aggressori in entrambi i casi sono stati adolescenti. https://blogs.bible.org/defendant-testify-in-turkish-martyrs-murders-jan-23-08/
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Author: Compass Direct News
Compass Direct News was a news service dedicated to providing exclusive news, penetrating reports, moving interviews and insightful analyses of situations and events facing Christians persecuted for their faith.https://www.eurasiareview.com/author/compass-direct-news/
Website: http://www.compassdirect.org
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Nigeria Attacks: Blair Launches Faith-Based Program To Promote Religious Tolerance
November 26, 2012 Compass Direct News 0 Comments
Amidst continuing attacks on Churches and Christian communities in Northern Nigeria, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony BlairRead more
Pakistan: 14 Year Old Rimsha Masih Found Innocent Of Blasphemy
November 20, 2012 Compass Direct News 0 Comments
The case against Rimsha Masih, the teenage Pakistani Christian girl, has today been dropped by the court in the PakistaniRead more
India: Christians Tormented With Music, Then Attacked
August 1, 2012 Compass Direct News 0 Comments
For months, a group of Hindu extremists in southern India had been blasting high-volume movie music at the prayer meetingsRead more
Vietnam: Officials Destroy Two New Church Buildings
June 28, 2012 Compass Direct News 0 Comments
Vietnamese officials in Muong Cha district, Dien Bien Province, destroyed two new church buildings of ethnic minority Hmong Christians thisRead more
Azerbaijan: Appeals Judge To Decide Fate Of Church
June 23, 2012 Compass Direct News 0 Comments
By Wayne King A Christian congregation in Azerbaijan is waiting pensively to see if a judge will uphold a courtRead more
Sudan: Convert From Islam Loses Wife, Children
June 20, 2012 Compass Direct News 0 Comments
By Simba Tian A year ago Mohammed Khidir Khalil was glad his family had obtained refugee status in Egypt afterRead more
Egypt: Gutted Church Building Leaves Copts With Debt
June 14, 2012 Compass Direct News 0 Comments
By Wayne King A hasty, inadequate renovation of a church building that Salafi Muslims largely gutted a year ago hasRead more
Iran: Authorities Shut Church In Tehran
June 9, 2012 Compass Direct News 0 Comments
By Damaris Kremida Authorities in Iran this week ordered the closure of a church in the capital, Tehran, amid aRead more
Nigeria: Allegations Swirl Around Suicide Bomb Attack
June 8, 2012 Compass Direct News 0 Comments
By Abdias Pasoville Amid allegations that soldiers were responsible for at least eight of 21 deaths after the suicide bombingRead more
Indonesia Sees Uptick In Church Closures, Attacks
June 5, 2012 Compass Direct News 2 Comments
By Vishal Arora and Victor Ambarita The number of violations of Christians' religious rights in Indonesia reached 40 in theRead more
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Sudanese Authorities Demolish Two Church Buildings
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June 1, 2012
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November 16, 2005
Latest Persecution News from Compass Direct
In case you haven't read the Compass Direct website lately - please do. Compass Direct updates their website frequently and they stay on top of the most recent persecution news.
Here's their two latest top notch news stories.
CHINA : CAI PRESSURED TO DROP APPEAL OF CONVICTION: Pastor and two others bow out of legal fight after court clerk threatens house church leader.
Pastor Cai Zhuohua and two other Christians found guilty on November 8 of "illegal business practices" have dropped plans to appeal their conviction, two days before a legal deadline for the appeal.
A fourth Christian, Hu Jinyun, will continue the appeal process through her own lawyers, according to a China Aid Association (CAA) report released today.
A clerk from Haidian District People's Court visited Cai at the Qinghe detention center and warned him that his sentence would be increased if he "annoyed" the judges with an appeal, according to CAA. Facing heavy pressure, Cai, his wife and brother-in-law agreed to drop the appeal.
This decision came as President Bush began an eight-day tour of Asia. Bush intends to visit China November 19-21. In a speech made in Japan, he urged China to open the door to more political and religious freedoms, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported today.
Finish the article
https://www.persecutionblog.com/2005/11/latest_persecut.html
Here is the second news item... INDIA : HINDU EXTREMISTS ATTACK CHURCH IN HIMACHAL PRADESH, INDIA :World Hindu Council threatens to burn pastor and church members to death.
November 14 (Compass) – Hindu extremists attacked 62-year-old Pastor Feroz Masih in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh on November 4, accusing him of "forcibly converting" Hindus and severely beating him.
The attackers then forced Masih to sign a document saying he was willing to participate in a ceremony planned for Sunday (November 20), in which all 60 members of his church would be converted back to Hinduism.
If the pastor and other church members refused to take part, the extremists said, they would be burned to death.
Please finish reading. I feel heavy-hearted after reading these stories because the evil is just palpable. However, it's amazing how much stronger and more real God is and how He has overcome all evil.
=============================
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July 24, 2017
Missionary Pilot Shares The Rest of the Auca Martyrs' Story
Growing up the home of missionary parents in Ecuador, Gene Jordan has always known the story of five men—Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Peter Fleming, and Roger Youderian—who gave their lives in the jungle to reach an isolated Indian tribe.
But for Gene, it wasn't a far-off story. The five martyrs and their surviving families were close friends of Gene's parents. One of Gene's prized possessions is a picture of him, age 2, standing with Saint in front of the famous, yellow Piper Cub airplane later shredded by spears on the riverbank.
As a teen, Gene helped Mission Aviation Fellowship pilots wash their airplanes and clean up the hangar, always hoping for an empty seat on the next flight. As an adult, Gene became one of those pilots and was sent back to Ecuador to follow in the footsteps of "Uncle Nate."
Listen as he shares reflections on a life serving in missions, and the difference the gospel makes in the hearts of individuals, and even entire villages, as the people find in Jesus a reason to live.
Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the VOM Radio podcast on iTunes or Google Play Music.
Posted by VOM_MediaDev on July 24, 2017 at 11:06 AM in Missions, saints and martyrs, VOM Radio | Permalink |
Tags: interview, missions
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June 27, 2017
After Arrest, "I Was Terrified"
"Dr. Andrew" is working to share the gospel in the Middle East, but he hasn't always had a heart to share Christ's love with Muslims. Growing up in a nominal Christian family, Andrew was harassed by Muslims his whole life. But God changed his heart and gave him a passion to share Christ's love with Muslims.
His gospel work has brought him to the attention of secret police, who have detained and questioned him many times. Andrew says each time he is detained, even though he feels fear, he also sees an opportunity to share the gospel.
Listen as Andrew talks about how he overcomes the fear by focusing on the reality of Who God is rather than on his immediate surroundings. He'll also share some of the blessings that can be found in persecution, and help us understand the mindset of Middle Eastern Muslims.
Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the VOM Radio podcast on iTunes or Google Play Music.
Posted by VOM_MediaDev on June 27, 2017 at 05:07 PM in Reaching Muslims for Christ, VOM Radio | Permalink |Twitter Pinterest Facebook
June 07, 2017
Being a True Vessel for God's Use
"Brother Matthew" is a pastor and church planter in South Asia, working among Muslims to share the gospel.
After threats against his life and an attack on his brother, he was encouraged by family members to leave his country. He fled to a safe place, but God clearly called him to go back to his home country, in spite of the danger. Matthew obeyed, and since his return he's seen explosive growth in his church planting work.
Matthew says persecution is something God uses to purify and unify the church, and further it's something that every Christian should be ready to experience. Let Matthew's story inspire you to walk boldly with Christ, and remember this week to pray for Christians in South Asia.
Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the VOM Radio podcast on iTunes or Google Play Music.
Posted by VOM_MediaDev on June 07, 2017 at 11:56 AM in Pastors, Reaching Muslims for Christ, VOM Radio | Permalink |
Tags: Asia
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May 09, 2017
VOM Radio in Central Asia
"Tanya" is a Christian worker in Central Asia, living and ministering in a country where she must always be cautious about what she says openly and who she says it around. Listen to hear how Christians in the former Soviet Union are carefully sharing the gospel, and are willing to endure persecution if that's what it takes to see God's love spread to their countrymen.
As a mom and a pastor's wife, Tanya shares how the threat of persecution impacts the way Christians raise their children to follow Christ. You'll be inspired as Tanya shares how Christians living under persecution need and are blessed by Christians in free nations who pray for them and fellowship with them. Finally, you'll learn ways to pray as Dr. Jason Peters guest-hosts this week's episode of VOM Radio.
Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the VOM Radio podcast on iTunes or Google Play Music.
Posted by VOM_MediaDev on May 09, 2017 at 02:17 PM in Dr. Jason Peters, Pastors, VOM Radio | Permalink |
Tags: Central Asia
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April 27, 2017
Nate Saint Memorial School: End of an Era
The end of an era comes next month.
Saint_1In August 1985, I clutched my mom's hand and squeaked my rubber flip-flopped way down the gravel path from the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) "base" to the cinderblock Nate Saint Memorial school. Miss Carolyn Wolfram greeted me and the three other kindergarten students and we took our places at the red, yellow, blue and green desks.
David's parents were with Gospel Missionary Union, running a conference center for training local church workers. Rebekah's dad was an anesthesiologist at the HCJB mission hospital in town. And Cristina's parents worked with the local church while her dad trained to be a pilot with my dad at MAF.
I completed all of my elementary education through the sixth grade at Nate Saint Memorial School. In my era, the school hosted around 30 kids in kindergarten through eighth grade; all of our parents were involved in various ministries and denominations and types of mission work in the tiny town of Shell, perched on the edge of Ecuador's Amazon rain forest.
At NSMS, as we called it, classes were frequently put on hold so the school children could perform a song for visiting tour groups from the U.S. We marched in the town parades proudly carrying a banner with Nate Saint's name on it, and when we got tired of standing in the hot sun, our teachers would exhort us to set an example for the Ecuadorian schools, because they knew we were the "evangelical" school.
Class sizes were small, and like a prairie school house, often contained multiple grades. After the teacher got the third graders working in their math workbooks, she might quietly read the English assignment to the fourth graders on the other side of the room. When there were political strikes and no one could travel around town, we had classes in homes, books spread out on dining room tables with our mothers overseeing us.
Thursday afternoons were for swimming, when the whole school would pile into the rattley GMC mission vans and head for the river. The teachers would try to make sure we didn't drown in the fast current while I worked up the courage to finally jump off that big rock into the deep spot.
When the eighth graders needed frogs to dissect for science class, they first spent an evening out behind the school, capturing toads and dunking them in formaldehyde from the hospital. The surgeons' wife came over on Tuesdays to have us draw still-life paintings.
Every day on my way home from school, I'd pass the long wooden house of the Brethren church planters who were working with the indigenous people, including many of the Waodani (the tribe responsible for killing Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming and Roger Youderian). Waodani teenagers lived with them for months at a time while completing their education in Shell, education that wasn't available in the jungle. The hope of the church planters was that these young people would return to their villages with a firm spiritual foundation that they could share with their communities.
The school for the children of missionaries founded in 1966 in memory of those missionary martyrs—Nate Saint Memorial School—has run its course. Fewer missionaries are needed in the region, and more are choosing to homeschool their children.
Saint_2The end of an era has come, but its purpose was well-served. My kindergarten teacher, Miss Wolfram, would go on to have a 32-year-long career serving the mission community, in Shell and later in the capital city at the boarding school. She's retiring this year.
Several schoolmates went on to become missionary pilots. One is serving as a military chaplain. Another is a church planter in Mexico. One girl ministered with her family in Yemen. Another one trains pastors in the Dominican Republic. My sister and her family work with youth in Ecuador. And then there's me: privileged to serve persecuted Christians around the world. Christians who are just as willing to sacrifice their lives in order to share the gospel as the school's namesake, Nate Saint.
Dory P and her husband both work for VOM. Dory grew up calling Nate Saint's sister "Aunt Rachel" and Jim Elliot's widow "Aunt Betty." She and her husband serve on VOM's staff.
Posted by VOM_MediaDev on April 27, 2017 at 03:14 PM in Dory P., Kids of Courage, Missions, saints and martyrs | Permalink |Twitter Pinterest Facebook
April 24, 2017
Nepal: This is Who God Is
Listen this week for an update on the church in Nepal, especially how the church has been impacted by Nepal's recent adoption of a new constitution which included anti-conversion provisions.
Michael Huff has been the leader of Operation Mobilization in Nepal and is now based in the US helping to mobilize Christians to take the gospel all over the world. Listen as Michael shares how OM is working to raise up Christian workers and evangelists in Nepal, and some of the lessons Nepali Christians have taught him during his years of ministry there.
He'll share how two Christian workers there responded to persecution in the village they were working in; and an amazing story of how God supernaturally gave the Scriptures to a young boy—a boy who would grow up to be a church leader in Nepal.
Learn more about OM's work in Nepal and around the world at www.OMUSA.org.
Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the VOM Radio podcast on iTunes or Google Play Music.
Posted by VOM_MediaDev on April 24, 2017 at 01:38 PM in Todd Nettleton, VOM Radio | Permalink |
Tags: Nepal
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April 17, 2017
VOM Radio: "When We Say Yes to God"
When God called Leanna to missions she was a young woman fresh out of college. Then God specifically called her to a part of South Asia known as "the graveyard of missionaries." He led her down a different path from most foreigners at the time; Leanna lived in a village, drinking dirty water, sleeping on a grass mat and subsisting on lentils and rice. As she lived through the hardships of village life she was able to introduce people to a God greater and more powerful than the millions of Gods in their faith: Jesus Christ.
Listen as Leanna shares about how Jesus is reaching people in South Asia with demonstrations of His power, and how believers are persevering in spite of persecution and hardship. She'll also advise American believers how to reach out to those we know with the gospel, and equip us to pray for more than a billion people who live in South Asia.
Learn more about Leanna's ministry at TellAsia.org; order a copy of her book, Treasures in Dark Places: One Woman, a Supernatural God and a Mission to the Toughest Part of India (affiliate link).
Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the VOM Radio podcast on iTunes or Google Play Music.
Posted by VOM_MediaDev on April 17, 2017 at 12:15 PM in India, Missions, VOM Radio | Permalink |
Tags: India
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April 10, 2017
Middle East Christians "Standing in the Fire"
For Christians in Syria and other Middle East nations, human logic is clear: get out! Go someplace safe!
In spite of such advice, Tom and JoAnn Doyle tell us many Christians are choosing to STAY and serve the Lord and witness for Christ. These bold brothers and sisters are standing in the fire of war and persecution, and they are finding—just as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did—that God is standing with them.
Listen to the story of Jamila, a 12-year-old girl healed from cancer after a Christian man prayed for her in Jesus' name, leading to hundreds of Druze people coming to faith in Christ. Jamila's is just one of the stories in Tom Doyle's new book, Standing in the Fire.
You'll be encouraged as you hear what God is doing in the Middle East, and challenged as Tom and JoAnn give insights into how we, Christians in free nations, can emulate the lessons offered by our brothers and sisters standing in the fire.
Order "Standing In The Fire" by Tom Doyle (affiliate link).
Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the VOM Radio podcast on iTunes or Google Play Music.
Posted by VOM_MediaDev on April 10, 2017 at 10:38 AM in Books, Todd Nettleton, VOM Radio | Permalink |
Tags: books, Middle East
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April 06, 2017
Petr Jasek: God Opened the Prison Door
From the first days after his arrest in Sudan, Petr Jasek repeatedly said, "God is the One who holds the key to my cell."
Jasek, a Czech citizen, is VOM's Africa regional director and he was just released after 14 months in prison in Sudan. In this third and final part of our conversation with Petr, he shares about how he stopped praying to be released from prison and simply focused on fulfilling the Lord's purpose for him inside prison walls.
Listen as Petr shares what it was like to hear the judge announce that he was sentenced to life in prison, and the verse he read from Psalms moments before he found out God would be using the key and opening Petr's cell door. Petr will also share—from his personal experience—how we should pray for Christians in prison, and for their families who sometimes suffer more than the prisoners.
You will be challenged to think about what it means to wait on the Lord as you hear Petr share how, after 445 days, God set this captive free.
Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the VOM Radio podcast on iTunes or Google Play Music.
Posted by VOM_MediaDev on April 06, 2017 at 10:55 AM in Inside VOM, Prisoner Alert, Sudan, VOM Radio | Permalink |
Tags: Petr Jasek, Sudan
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March 27, 2017
"Holy, Holy, Holy" in a Sudanese Prison
What verse of Scripture would you grab onto if you were locked in prison for your faith? Perhaps you'd choose Isaiah 61:1:
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound"
Petr Jasek, a Czech national and VOM's Africa regional director, was released last month after 445 days in prison in Sudan. Listen below as he shares the verse that God brought to his mind which became a theme for him during those long months in prison, Revelation 4:8:
The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:
"Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!"
That verse became a theme for Petr; he would use it to guide his prayers and recite it over and over each day throughout his imprisonment.
Meditating on God's holiness provided strength for Petr as his radical Muslim cellmates began to pressure, persecute and torture him. Listen also for the story of the opportunity God provided that encouraged Petr as he began to lose hope after four months in prison. Petr's story challenges each of us to think about how we deal with hardship or opposition, and reminds us to seek God's plan and His will, even when we're uncomfortable or suffering.
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