Pastors Right to Talk About
Jesus Threatened
Arrests
triggering appeal to EU Human Rights Court
Posted: April 20, 2009
10:50 pm Eastern
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
A case in which two preachers, including an American,
were arrested for talking in public about Jesus will be appealed to the
European Court of Human Rights, according to a law firm working on the
case.
Officials with the International Human Rights
Group have announced plans to prepare the appeal of the case involving
Larry Keffer, who works through the Biblical Research Center in
Tampa, Fla.
Keffer was accompanied by Norwegian evangelist Petar Keseljevic last year when
both were arrested for sharing the Gospel along a parade route in
IHRG spokesman Joel Thornton told WND at the time about the ministers'
effort to share their faith.
"Larry and Petar were standing in pedestrian
areas behind the crowds gathering for the celebration holding an evangelical
sign and sharing the Gospel with those who were gathered for the parade,"
the IHRG said.
"Police asked them to move away from the palace of the king and take
their message anywhere else along the route. They moved and were then
approached by other police officers. Larry was never told that he would be
arrested if he did not leave. One of the officers talked with Petar in Norwegian for a few minutes and then arrested them
both," the IHRG said.
"The two men were not even preaching. Petar
was holding a sign on a tall post and both men were conversing with the crowd.
They were not using a bullhorn and their message was one of the need to be born again,"
The sign read: "Only Jesus can save you from hell, read the Bible for
the details."
"Several people cursed them and one person cursed
At the time the case developed, Keffer told WND
the situation occurred because police treated the preachers as if the nation
didn't recognize individual speech rights. He noted that a critic attacked Keseljevic while police were watching, and officers did
nothing.
He also noted that his taping caught what appears to be a man stealing
something from a parade fan, (at about 5:19 on the second video) but police
were concentrating too much on stifling the Gospel message to see it.
"It's ironic," he told WND at the time. "Here's