Listen The Global War on God
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Dr. Demian Dunkley address what Newt calls a global war on God: the worldwide pattern of governments targeting religious liberty, from South Korea's courtroom to Nigeria's killing fields.
Korea locked up the Mother of Peace
An 83-year-old great-grandmother with no criminal record and six decades of global peace work was sentenced to two years in prison in her home country of South Korea. Human rights advocates and supporters are demanding her immediate release.
Voices for Freedom
“The sentencing of religious leader Dr. Hak Ja Han to two years in prison is deeply troubling for anyone who cares about religious liberty and free expression. The evidence suggests that Dr. Han was targeted for her religious and political beliefs.
Dr. Han has never been charged with so much as a parking ticket in her life, yet has already been detained for nearly a year in terrible conditions despite her advanced age and health problems.
This is a betrayal of South Korea’s hard-won democratic values. I pray that the government of South Korea reconsiders this case on appeal and does not go further down the path of religious persecution.”
Mike Pompeo, Former U.S. Secretary of State
“What happens to Dr. Hak Ja Han matters far beyond Korea. The freedom to believe, worship, and practice your faith must be defended everywhere, or ultimately it will be secure nowhere.
I believe there is a global war on God taking place in plain sight, and Dr. Han has found herself in the middle of it.
This is not a routine prosecution. It is a systematic, state-sponsored campaign to dismantle a religious movement. The criminal trial is merely the spearhead of a much larger, coordinated offensive.
If an international peace advocate and Nobel nominee can be locked away and convicted in her twilight years and have her church dissolved by executive decree, then no religious group is safe from state overreach.”
Sam Brownback, Former U.S. Ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom
“South Korea’s backsliding on religious freedom should be concerning to everyone. The miscarriage of justice in the case of Dr. Hak Ja Han alarmingly shows that its judicial system is failing to live up to democratic standards.
Dr. Han, the 83-year old leader of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, has been convicted in a case where the allegations against her came from a disgruntled and disgraced former church officer who had already been expelled from the Family Federation. She has serious health issues and no criminal history but is being treated like a hardened criminal.
Perhaps most alarming in all of this are the reports that the Chinese Communist Party, no friend to religious freedom or other democratic values, is partially behind this and other persecutions by supporting the groups advocating for the prosecutions. Dr. Han’s family and the church are well known for their anti-communist crusades and South Korea should protect against CCP influences in its legal system.
It is a travesty of justice that Dr. Han has been convicted. I hope the courts will consider her health and allow her to stay out of prison while her appeal is being considered.”
Newt Gingrich, Former U.S. Speaker of the House
Defending the freedom to believe
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