The Voice of the suffering in Asia

Bishop Rehmat said, “More than 300 people were arrested [following the attack], but it is unlikely that they will face justice. Slowly, they have started releasing them. Nobody has been charged.”

According to the United Christian Forum for Human Rights (UCF), an Indian ecumenical organization that tracks incidents of persecution against Christians of all denominations, at least 161 cases were reported in just the first three months of 2024.

Qazi Faez Isa, the Chief Justice of Pakistan and head of the Supreme Court, described the report as being “[worthy of] the dustbin.” According to the Court, the report lacked relevant information, like details of arrests, and investigation agencies were seemingly not determined to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The conflict, which pits government forces against armed resistance groups and ethnic militias, has become significantly worse over the past year, with fighting affecting almost the entire country. The current situation brings suffering to all sectors of society and poses a particular danger to vulnerable minority communities, including Christians.

“The voices of Muslim scholars have become very important, especially where the government and the armed forces find it difficult to intervene. One of the results of our dialogue is that, for the first time, many Muslim scholars stood with us."

“I see this as a very tragic event, because just today, we were beginning the Marawi Week of Peace in the Diocese of Marawi. What was meant to be a week full of positive, peace-building moments has become a time of terror."