ICC Note: The Philippine government has detained a United Methodist missionary and barred two others from leaving the country since last May. Various church groups around the world are calling on the government to free them and allow them to return home.

07/03/2018 Philippines (UCA News) – Various church groups around the world are calling on the Philippine government to release a detained Protestant missionary and let two others return to their home countries.

Catholic and Protestant church organizations have united in urging the Manila government to release the missionaries, one of whom has been in detention for seven weeks.

A recently launched online petition for the release of Zimbabwe national Tawanda Chandiwana from immigration detention and for Malawi citizen Miracle Osman and American Adam Shaw to leave the country has gathered about 11,000 signatures.

“We are saddened by the fact that in spite of official requests for and in behalf of our three young people, they are still unable to leave the Philippines,” read a statement from the United Methodist Church.

“We reiterate our appeal to the Philippine government to release Chandiwana, return the passport of Osman, and with Shaw, let all of them go back to their respective countries,” read the Protestant group’s statement.

It said the three missionaries “don’t want to stay longer than their visas allow them to” in the Philippines. “And they are willing to leave the country peacefully,” said the bishops.

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