The US government has said that it is “monitoring” the “concerning” case of Clive Johnston, a 77-year-old pastor accused of breaching an abortion buffer zone in Northern Ireland.
Johnston was delivering an open-air sermon by the roadside within the zone on a Sunday in 2024.
The sermon made no mention of abortion and was centred around the well-known Bible verse, John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Johnston’s trial is due to resume on Wednesday. If found guilty he could be fined as much as £2,500.
The US state department told The Telegraph, “The United States is still monitoring many buffer zone cases in the UK, as well as other acts of censorship throughout Europe.
“The UK’s persecution of silent prayer represents not only an egregious violation of the fundamental right to free speech and religious liberty, but also a concerning departure from the shared values that ought to underpin US-UK relations.”
Last month, ahead of a scheduled hearing that was later postponed, Johnston thanked all those who had shown him support during his ordeal.
“I am grateful for the kind messages of support I have received from members of the public both here and abroad, and for the prayers being offered up to God about this case by many Christians," he said.
Previously, US Vice President JD Vance has spoken in defence of others charged under buffer zone laws.
Last year at the at the Munich Security Conference Vance raised the case of Adam Smith-Connor, an army veteran who was convicted after praying silently within a buffer zone in Bournemouth.
Vance has also referred to letters sent by the authorities in Scotland to homes within abortion zones. While Vance was criticised for saying the letters warned residents against private prayer in their home, the text of the letters was ambiguous enough to leave this possibility open, stating: “In general, the offences apply in public places within the Safe Access Zones. However, activities in a private place (such as a house) within the area between the protected premises and the boundary of a Zone could be an offence if they can be seen or heard within the Zone and are done intentionally or recklessly.”
Indeed, the MSP who pushed for abortion buffer zones in Scotland, Gillian Mackay, confirmed to the BBC that private prayer by the window of a private home could fall foul of the law, depending on who is passing the window at the time.
