Release International
Media call: Procession, vigil and petition at N Korean Embassy Jan 20 |
| Jan 10 2012 |
Release International will be staging a procession and prayer vigil and handing in a petition to the North Korean Embassy in London on Jan 20. There will be interview and picture opportunities with strong visuals and audio.
Release will be staging a funeral procession outside the North Korean Embassy on January 20. The procession signifies the death of freedom in North Korea under the previous leadership.
Then, from a coffin, white balloons will be released representing the potential for hope and a new beginning under the nation’s new leader Kim Jong-un. Release will then stage a prayer vigil for religious freedom in North Korea and hand in a petition.
Visuals will include supporters in black mourning the death of freedom. One will be dressed as the grim reaper. There will be singing and prayers for the future of North Korea. A clear message to Kim Jong-un will be read out stating the changes that must take place under his leadership if North Korea is to be seen as a respecter of human rights.
The procession will begin at ActonTown tube station and make its way slowly to the Embassy, at 73 Gunnersbury Avenue, W5 4LP. It will last about ten minutes.
Supporters will gather outside ActonTown tube station at 10:30am. The procession will set off at 10:45am, culminating in a prayer vigil outside the Embassy at 11:00am. It will conclude with the handing in of a petition by 12.15pm.
The 48,000-strong petition by Release International supporters calls for religious freedom in North Korea, which is among the worst persecutors of Christians in the world. Release will also be calling on the British government to press for religious freedom. Release CEO Andy Dipper will then present a copy of the petition to 10 Downing Street.
The event is the culmination of the year-long One Day campaign, calling for an end to religious oppression in North Korea.
‘Under this notoriously repressive regime Christians are among those held in prison camps, which have been likened to concentration camps. They are held there simply because of their religious beliefs,’ says Andy Dipper. ‘Thousands more live out their faith in secret to avoid detection by the authorities.
‘Our hope is that the change in leadership following the death of Kim Jong-il will lead to greater freedom of religion and that the persecution of Christians will end.’
Release has produced the DVD No Other God, which features moving accounts from refugees who have escaped the HermitKingdom. The 12-minute film is available from www.releaseinternational.org
‘Please pray,’ says Andy Dipper, ‘that the North Korean authorities will respond positively to the petition and understand that Christians are not a threat to their nation. Pray that Pyongyang, the capital, will once more be known as the 'Jerusalem of the East'.
‘And please pray that believers will be free to worship Christ openly and without fear of persecution and that, One Day, revival will come to the 'HermitKingdom'.’
Through its international network of missions Release International serves persecuted Christians in 30 countries around the world by supporting pastors and Christian prisoners and their families; supplying Christian literature and Bibles, and working for justice.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITOR
The text of the Release petition is as follows:
To the Ambassador of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, London
We, the undersigned, wish to express our gravest concern and disappointment regarding the DPRK government’s failure to safeguard the interests and protect the human rights of North Korean Christians.
Freed from exploitation and oppression by the DPRK constitution, Christians in North Korea are now under further oppression by the North Korean government itself.
North Korean Christians are loyal to their country and only wish the religious freedom to worship.
For this desire, they are detained, brutally tortured and removed from society; they spend years in work camps, and are forced to flee the country that they love to avoid this terrible persecution and oppression by the government. Given a chance to practise their faith freely, North Korean Christians would work to support North Korean society and unity.
We urge the government of North Korea to uphold its duty under the DPRK constitution to represent the interests of all Korean people and allow North Korean citizens to worship freely without threat of persecution.
For a country profile of North Korea and news stories from that nation, including accounts from refugees, please go here
For further information, please contact Release International on 01689 823491, or by email at info@releaseinternational.org
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