A Czech missionary has been sentenced to 20 years in jail in Sudan after he was found guilty of spying and inciting hatred. Two Sudanese Christians, Rev Hassan Abdelrahim and Abdelmonem Abdumawla, were given sentences variously reported as 12 and 14 years.
Petr Jasek was sentenced in Kartoum, Sudan, on Sunday after being charged of "entering the country without a visa... spying... taking pictures of military installations... inciting hatred... and publishing fake news," his lawyer Omar al-Faruk Shmina said, according to ENCA.
He has already been in prison for more than a year after being detained in December 2015. It is thought he was in the country helping local Christians, who are a minority.
The Czech foreign ministry in Prague condemned the verdict, saying they were confident it was not backed by facts.
It confirmed that Jasek had been sentenced and said it would start immediate talks with Sudanese officials to secure his release. The court put his sentence at 24 years but Czech officials said it was 20 years.
He was charged alongside Sudan Church of Christ leader Hassan Abdelrahim and Darfuri graduate Abdulmonem Abdumawla. They were also first detained in December 2015, alongside another Church of Christ pastor, Kuwa Shamal, who was released earlier this month.
Release International, a charity helping persecuted Christians, said they would appeal the verdict. A statement said Jasek was detained along with three others for funding the medical treatment of a Darfur student burnt at a rally.
They were subsequently accused of funding rebel movements and charged with at least seven crimes, including 'waging war against the state' and spying, the charity added.
The case has attracted significant international attention. In October, the European Parliament adopted an Urgency Resolution, calling for the "immediate and unconditional" release of the four men on trial "on charges of highlighting alleged Christian suffering in war-ravaged areas of Sudan".
Court dates have been frequently delayed and postponed several times without warning when a witness, translator or the judge failed to appear.
One Western diplomat observed a hearing in November, according to World Watch Monitor and said: "The prosecutor has nothing new. It was just a repetition of what has already been said... They didn't have any evidence to support their accusations."
