A Chinese Christian pastor who vocally defended area churches when government officials removed crosses from buildings has been thrown in jail.
Pastor Huang Yizi was sentenced by the “People’s Court” of Pingyany County for “gathering crowds to disturb the social order.” He was given one year in prison for the conviction.
Pastor Huang’s conflict with the local authorities was sparked by demands for the government to explain the beating of more than 50 parishioners in his government-sanctioned Fengwo Church. The parishioners were attempting to stop the removal of a cross from Salvation Church in Pingyang.
The police stopped more than 400 Christians from attending the trial. A witness said they stopped cars at first and then blocked off a perimeter of almost three football fields around the courthouse.
The destructions were revealed to be a government plan to stop the Christian churches from continuing their fast growth.
A jihadi who faked his death in an attempt to sneak back into Britain has been jailed for 12 years.
Imran Khawaja joined a faction aligned with ISIS and was part of a terrorist training camp in Syria for six months. He also appeared in several online videos for the group including one where he posted with the severed head of the terror group’s victims.
The lawyer for Khawaja said that his client just wanted to return to the country because he had “had enough” of the terrorist camp. He faked his death in online postings until it was reported in local newspapers. He thought by doing so he could resume his life in Britain.
He was caught when he tried to enter England in June by sneaking into a port in Dover.
Judge Jeremy Baker said that Khawaja was a risk to the public and said that despite his claims, he was a “willing and enthusiastic” participant in the terror group.
“You took part in the production of films designed to promote the Islamic State cause and encouraging U.K. Muslims to join you in jihad,” he said. “Your interest was sufficiently profound for you to travel to Syria to train for jihad.”
A young girl’s decision to give life to her unborn child resulted in her losing her own.
Now a New York man will be going to prison for her killing.
A jury deliberated about an hour before convicting 22-year-old Christian Ferdinand on a second degree murder charge in the death of 14-year-old Shaniesha Forbes. Ferdinand met the girl on Facebook in 2012 and met up with her for sex. She text messaged him a few months later saying she was pregnant with his child and would not abort the baby.
“Are you serious? Kill that [expletive],” Ferdinand texted back to her. He then killed the teen when she met him at his cousin’s house by smothering her with a pillow. He then stuffed the girl’s body into a suitcase, burned it and then threw it into lake.
“He intentionally smothered a 14-year-old girl to death and burned her body to get rid of the evidence,” prosecutor Robert Walsh told jurors on Monday. “He had a problem that needed solving. He didn’t want to pay child support, and Shaniesha got in the way.”
Ferdinand actually told investigators he didn’t think the killing was a big deal. He asked them if they could just give him community service for the murder.
He faces 25 years in prison. Ironically, the medical examiner said it was likely the girl was not pregnant in the first place.
Venezuelan leaders have begun to blatantly ignore human rights in squelching protests and opposition to their rule.
President Nicolas Maduro has been warning opposition leaders for weeks that they will be jailed and tortured like opposition hardliner Leopoldo Lopez if they do not stop opposing his plans for the country.
Thursday the government arrested two opposition members of the legislature and had already sentenced one of them to 10 months in jail. Another congresswoman is jailed and the government is working to strip away her congressional immunity from prosecution because of her opposition to Maduro.
The mayor of San Diego, Enzo Scarano, was removed from his position by the Supreme Court which is loaded with Maduro associates. He was jailed for not following a court order to remove protester barricades from the city.
Maduro said Thursday he will “neutralize” the “country’s enemies.”
