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Release of kidnapped Korean missionaries

Hon Winston Peters
Parliament Buildings
Wellington

17 August 2007

Dear Minister

Re:  Persecution against Christians

We appeal to the New Zealand Government to take a strong stand against Christians who have been unlawfully detained, imprisoned and murdered.

Acts of violence against Christians are all too commonplace around the world.  The recent kidnapping of Korean missionaries by the Taliban in Afghanistan, at least two of whom have subsequently been murdered, is one recent example.

While some have condemned the Korean mission to one of the world’s most volatile environments as foolhardy, it remains that kidnapping and murder are unjust responses to people who are seeking to help the most vulnerable in the community including women and children.  Those within our Church have been asked to pray for the safe return of these young people, and we call on the Government to add its voice to the international call for the Taliban to release the Korean missionaries immediately.

The imprisonment of Pastor Berlin Guerrero in the Philippines is another recent example of persecution on the basis of religious beliefs.  Pastor Berlin’s treatment is part of a well-documented and acknowledged pattern of extra judicial killings and torture in the Philippines.

The Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand strongly believes that Christians, like all other religions, have the right to practice their faith in peace without persecution and without fear of injury or death. We urge the New Zealand Government to communicate its opposition to the detainment of Pastor Berlin Guerrero to the Philippines Government in the strongest possible terms. 

Yours sincerely

Rt Rev Pamela Tankersely

Moderator of Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand

cc:  Murray McCully (National Foreign Affairs spokesperson), Keith Locke (Greens Foreign Affairs spokesperson)