U.S. condemns Myanmar arrest, detention of Kachin Baptist leader

By Simon Lewis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States on Thursday condemned the Myanmar military authorities’ arrest and detention of a Christian religious leader and called for his immediate release and for all charges against him to be dropped.

Reverend Hkalam Samson is the former head of the Kachin Baptist Convention, an organization based in northern Myanmar’s Kachin state representing the mostly Christian Kachin minority, who was detained in December by authorities under the junta that seized power in Myanmar two years ago.

“We condemn the Burma military regime’s arrest and detention of prominent ethnic Kachin Christian leader Rev. Dr. Hkalam Samson,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters, using the Southeast Asian country’s former name.

Human Rights Watch on Monday said that Samson had a hearing, on counterterrorism law charges, scheduled for Feb.21 at a special court inside Myitkyina prison.

The rights organization called on the junta to drop “politically motivated” charges against Samson, including a charge of meeting members of an ethnic armed group under Myanmar’s Unlawful Associations Act and of incitement relating to a prayer the religious leader held with members of Myanmar’s parallel civilian government.

Samson previously faced a legal complaint in Myanmar after telling then U.S. President Donald Trump that Myanmar’s military was oppressing Christians during a 2019 visit to the White House.

“We are extremely concerned for his wellbeing and safety and encourage our partners and allies to join us in calling on the regime to drop all charges and immediately and unconditionally release Rev. Samson,” Price added.

(Reporting by Simon Lewis; additional reporting by Costas Pitas and Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Chris Reese and Sandra Maler)