Christian captives released and deported

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — An Ethiopian Christian and a Filipino Christian jailed since last summer in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah were released and deported to their home countries over Easter weekend. Filipino Dennis Moreno flew home to Manila on Emirates airlines March 30. Ethiopian Worku Aweke, identified as Ismail Abubakr on his Saudi identity papers, left Jeddah’s Bremen deportation center the previous night on a flight back to Addis Ababa, Moreno reported.

The two were the last of 14 expatriate Christians imprisoned for months by the Saudi “muttawa” [religious police] without formal charges for allegedly illegal Christian activities. Moreno, who spoke with Compass Direct News Service by telephone from Manila, said he had “no revenge in my heart” toward the Saudi authorities for the mistreatment and injustices done against him and the other Christians jailed for so many months. “My heart desire is that they will change,” he said. “They are really scared. The government is afraid because people there are changing their faith.”