On 1 November the Somaliland Regional Court ordered the deportation of a married couple, Somali converts from Islam to Christianity, to Somalia. They had been arrested in September, considered to be “apostates and evangelists spreading Christianity.”
On 5 November they, with an infant, travelled to Somalia. This week they moved to a safe country, to be reunited with their two oldest sons.
The couple appeared before the Somaliland court several times after their arrest. Charges were expected at a hearing on 24 October, however the prosecutor instead asked for a two-week extension to decide how to proceed. On 1 November 2020 the regional court ordered the deportation.
According to their lawyer, the decision was made after European government representatives raised the case with the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Somali Christians request prayer:
- Thanking God for the sudden release of the couple and their arrival in a safe country
- That the family will overcome the trauma they experienced and for strength to rebuild their (family) life
- For the Christian community in Somaliland, to have strength, wisdom, courage to continue their ministries and for healing of the trauma caused by these arrests
