Author:
Publication: Zenit.org
Date: June 9, 2004
Church Appeals for Release of Brian
Savio O'Connor
The Indian bishops' conference have
received no reply from the Saudi Arabian Embassy here regarding an Indian
citizen being tortured and imprisoned in the Mideast kingdom for his faith.
The bishops' conference sent an
official letter to the embassy asking about Brian Savio O'Connor of Karnataka,
who has been working in Saudi Arabia, but the episcopate received no reply.
The bishops have now called on the
government of India to take official diplomatic action and ask the Saudi
authorities to release O'Connor, conference spokesman Father Babu Joseph
told Fides.
In India, especially in the state
of Karnataka, the Church has called on Christians to pray for the man's
release.
The All India Catholic Union, a
lay organization representing India's 16 million lay Catholics, sent a
telegram to the Saudi king through the ambassador in New Delhi expressing
strong protest and calling for O'Connor's release.
"Religious freedom is part of today's
civilization. It is one of the rights recognized by the United Nations
for every man and women," said John Dayal, vice president of the Catholic
Union.
O'Connor was beaten and tortured
because he was seen praying to Jesus, officials said. O'Connor was arrested
six months ago by Saudi religious police. He was taken to Ali Hira prison
in Riyadh where he was whipped and tortured with electric wires. His family
believes O'Connor is now detained in Olaya prison with a broken rib.
He has been charged with drug peddling
and preaching Christianity, crimes punishable by death. His relations say
the evidence was fabricated to foist the drug charge on Brian. His family
accused the Saudi police of forcing O'Connor to convert to Islam and threatening
him if he refused.
