In 2015, Petr Jasek, Africa Regional Director for Voice of the Martyrs, traveled to Sudan to meet with persecuted Christians. He had been serving the persecuted church for 23 years, overseeing nearly 300 projects in 27 countries.
Arrested and Imprisoned with ISIS
At the Khartoum airport, as he was leaving, he was arrested. The charges: espionage, waging war against the state, and inciting hatred. The maximum sentence was death.
His first cellmates were ISIS fighters—men from Sudan, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Egypt, and Pakistan who hated Christians. For the first two months, they beat him, slandered him, and tortured him. Every time they didn't like his answer to their interrogations, they struck him with a wooden stick.
Within three months, Jasek lost 25 kilograms of body weight. Through internal bleeding, he lost half his blood in the first month alone.
But God was at work.
Preaching in Sudanese Prison
At a later prison, guards allowed Jasek and two Sudanese pastors to hold chapel services. He preached once or twice a week to fellow inmates—murderers, rapists, thieves, drug dealers. "People that were hopeless," he called them.
Several Eritrean prisoners listened closely. Two of them gave their lives to Christ.
"I saw the changed life of those who dedicated their lives to Christ," Jasek testified. Even in a Sudanese prison, the gospel was bearing fruit.
Released and Ready to Return
After 445 days, through negotiations between the Sudanese and Czech governments, Jasek was released in February 2017.
When asked if he would return to hostile environments, Jasek answered without hesitation: "I would definitely go. My heart is with the persecuted brothers and sisters. I am ready to go anywhere the Lord leads me."
Today, Petr serves as VOM's Global Ambassador, traveling the world to encourage the church.
