A Congressman from Virginia is in Africa this week, working to secure the release of two Sudanese pastors imprisoned by their government. Seven of the pastors’ family members have already arrived in Virginia as refugees.
Back in January, the Sudanese Government arrested three Christian missionaries, two fromSudan and one from the Czech Republic, and charged them with espionage.
The Sudanese government has a history of persecuting christians, and Christian advocacy groups immediately began lobbying for their release. Some here in Virginia reached out to Congressman Tom Garrett, a Republican who serves on the Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Africa.
“Because we know that these people were doing Christian missionary work and they were not terrorists, they were not spying or doing any of these things they have been convicted of,” explained Trip Grant, one of Garrett’s legislative aides.
Garrett arranged a meeting with the Sudanese ambassador and asked him to deliver to President Omar Al-Bashir.
“And he said he’d be happy to,” recalled Grant. “And he also noted that there hadn’t been a visit from a Congressman or Senator at the Sudan embassy in over 20 years.”
That’s likely because the U.S. listed Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism in the early 1990’s, limiting diplomatic relationships with the country.
Garrett’s letter though, seems to have made a difference. The missionary from the Czech Republic was released to his country ten days after the letter was delivered and after the Czech foreign minister made a trip to Sudan.
But Congressman Garrett continued to work for the release of the two Sudanese pastors.
“The Congressman wrote another letter to president Al Bashir saying if he was willing to grant the pastors a pardon, we would find them a way to get refugee or citizenship in the US,” said Grant.
Garrett is now in Sudan and hopes to safely return with the pastors. Immigration officials have granted them, along with several family members, expedited refugee status. With the help of church leaders, they’ll be resettled in southwest Virginia.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
