FOR 31 years, the ecumenical charity Action by Christians
Against Torture (ACAT) has sent Christmas cards to victims of
torture and Christians imprisoned for their faith around the world.
At Easter, for the first time, it is asking supporters to pick up
their pen again.
For ACAT's first Easter-card appeal, it has produced a list of
organisations fighting for human rights and justice, as well as the
addresses of imprisoned Christians and prisoners of conscience.
The organisations that ACAT wants supporters to write messages
of support to include human-rights associations in places such as
Peru, Zimbabwe, and the Philippines, as well as Christian groups
defending the rights of the poor in Brazil and Mexico.
It also provides the prison address for Christians such as Johan
Teterissa, a teacher in Indonesia who has been incarcerated and
tortured since 2007 when he raised the flag of Papua New Guinea
during a presidential visit.
Also on the list are Rolando and Elizabeth Ortiz Bode, who lead
a growing house-church movement in Cuba but have received death
threats since July, and Augustine Ashiq Masih, a Pakistani Roman
Catholic who was sentenced to death for blasphemy in 2002 and has
been in prison ever since, pending an appeal.
ACAT says that letters and messages of support are often hugely
appreciated by prisoners and persecuted Christians, who worry that
the world has forgotten them. Occasionally correspondents receive
replies from those they write to.
To see the full list of addresses, visit www.acatuk.org.uk.