“Your silence is their weapon to kill more.” Worldwide memorial services held for Ms. Gu
Numerous memorial services were
held worldwide on Sunday 6th January 2019 in commemoration of Ms. Ji-In Gu, who
had died from coercive conversion on 9th January 2018. All rallies were hosted by Human Rights Association
for Victims of Coercive Conversion Programs (HAC).
Ms. Gu was a woman in her twenties
who was brutally killed as a result of aggression by Christian pastors because of
their refusal to accept her religious beliefs. Most of these pastors belong to
the Christian Council of Korea (CCK) who have established and implement these coercive
conversion programmes. Coercive conversion is an act that utilises violence to
forcibly change or convert the Christian beliefs of its victim to that of
another Christian denomination in clear violation of basic human rights.
Since Ms. Gu’s death more than
one year ago, there have been 147 confirmed cases of coercive conversion in
South Korea, with many more unaccounted for. Pastors evade legal punishment as
they deceive parents into kidnapping their children and confining them in a
remote location where they then receive coercive conversion education until
they convert. Ms. Gu had been forcibly confined in a Catholic monastery for 44
days and although she escaped and pled to the Korean president for justice through
a hand-written letter, her plea fell on deaf ears and she was taken hostage
again and died of asphyxiation during her struggle in resisting coercive conversion
education.
Although forcing anyone to
convert their belief through physical or mental torture is a gross violation of
one’s basic rights, the South Korean government - and, in large part, Korean
media - has remained silent on this tragedy. Many more victims continue to
suffer in silence in remote locations throughout Korea.
Thankfully, foreign news
coverage of Ms. Gu’s death and of HAC’s one-year memorial services, continue to
spread like wildfire. Since Ms. Gu’s death, 25 rallies - including a 120,000-strong
one in Seoul, Korea, on 18th January 2018 - have been held in 17 countries
demanding legal punishment for these pastors and a ban on coercive conversion programmes.
Media in 33 countries actively reported on these rallies and the recent
full-page advertisement “Ban Coercive Conversion” published in the New York
Times on November 28th 2018 has itself been publicised by 185 foreign media agencies.
Recent memorial services were
held in many countries including Germany, USA, Japan, Philippines, South Africa,
Malaysia, Lesotho, Uganda and Indonesia (several links provided below). Their purpose
was to create awareness and educate the public about the right to the freedom
of religion and to urge specifically for a law to ban coercive conversion and enforce
legal punishment for these pastors. Many people laid wreaths and held banners
with the words “CCK, CBS, the Liar, the Killer” and “Your silence is their weapon
to kill more.”
In Company Gardens, Cape Town,
leaders of different faiths took part in the memorial service and came to the
unanimous agreement that no one else should fall victim to coercive conversion.
One particular faith leader said “Through
her memory, we must actually be inspired to continue what we are doing as peace
ambassadors.” Indeed, true religion must be that which brings peace, not division.
If media and citizens outside
Korea continue to sound the trumpet exposing their evil deeds, it is only a
matter of time before the truth about the CCK and its affiliate Christian
Broadcasting System (CBS) made known to all people and justice delivered. In
the words of HAC presider in Kuching, Malaysia, “We sincerely plea to all media and citizens of Kuching, Malaysia, to listen
to the voice of the HAC and join in exterminating all coercive conversions in
Korea.” Let’s join our voices and put an end to this symbol of human rights
suppression.
[HAC] Kuching, Malaysia
[HAC] Lesotho LNBS
[HAC] Uganda
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