WASHINGTON, DC (ANS) -- New information has come to light about Jamaa Ait Bakrim, a Moroccan Christian who has been imprisoned for his faith since 2005.

ICC (International Christian Concern) www.persecution.org  says the new information has been translated, including interviews with a childhood friend and a businessman from his town.

Moroccan Christian Jamaa Ait Bakrim (Photo courtesy ICC).

In an update from the Washington, DC-based human rights organization, ICC says that on June 17, it issued a press release covering the basic information: Jamaa (prisoner number 26574) was imprisoned in 2005 for his faith and is currently in Prison Centrale, located in Kenitra, Morocco.

According to ICC, the bulk of Jamaa’s 15 year sentence came from the “destruction of the goods of others.”

ICC says: "In actuality Jamaa burned two unused wooden posts that were blocking access to his house. He requested permission from local authorities and heard nothing until his arrest."

A professor who had known Jamaa since childhood said: "Fifteen years for two abandoned posts, it is scandalous. Jamaa presented a serious problem for the authorities. He displayed his convictions in broad daylight and it is for this reason he underwent a crackdown."

A businessman who knew Jamaa before he was arrested said: "Jamaa is a Christian who is convinced of what he believes, he is far from being mad. The business of two burnt posts gave the authorities an excuse to rid their city of a man they hated."

ICC says Jamaa’s case has recently come to the attention of the US Congress.

In a June 17 Congressional hearing on “Human Rights and Religious Freedom in Morocco,” Jamaa was referenced by Congressman Frank Wolf (VA-10) and Senator James Inhofe (OK-R) as an example of the ongoing persecution of Christians in Morocco.

ICC explained that Morocco is bound to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which it ratified on March 27, 1979.

Article 18 of the ICCPR states that everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, including the freedom to change their religion. This freedom includes the right to manifest the individual’s belief in public or private.

ICC’s Regional Manager, Logan Maurer, stated: "The sentence Jamaa is serving is in blatant contradiction to international law agreed to by Morocco. This is the first time Jamaa Ait Bakrim’s case has been able to get out to the west and I am hopeful it signals the beginning of an effort that will bring freedom for Jamaa. He has already served five years for ‘destroying’ two unused electric poles; it is time Morocco be held accountable for the façade they have used to unjustly imprison a man for his faith."

Extensive details and pictures of Jamaa have been posted at ICC’s new Prisoner Focus page, located at www.persecution.org/prisonerfocus

ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441 or 301-585-5915.

_______________________________________________

International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, #941

Washington, DC 20006-1846
www.persecution.org  Email: icc@persecution.org  

MEDIA CONTACT:
Logan Maurer, Advocacy Officer
1-800-422-5441, logan@persecution.org  

** Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent of ANS, is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station. While in the UK, Michael traveled to Canada and the United States, Albania,Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany,and Czechoslovakia. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China,and Russia. Michael's volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649,at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can donate online to support his stated mission of 'Truth Through Christian Journalism.' If you have a news or feature story idea for Michael, please contact him at: ANS Chief Reporter