The Kurdish Evangelical Church in Beirut announced that Pastor Nihad Hassan, the church’s pastor, has been detained in the Syrian city of Afrin over social media posts that the church said were attributed to him.
In a statement, the church said that Pastor Hassan is currently being held at the Afrin Central Civil Prison, noting that his case file has been referred to the judicial authorities in Aleppo, according to his lawyer.
According to the statement, Pastor Nihad Hassan is originally from the Afrin region, specifically the village of Kordan in the Jindires subdistrict. He converted to Christianity and has been a member of the Evangelical Church since 2008. The church added that over the years, he has played a role in providing spiritual and humanitarian assistance to people in need in Lebanon, Syria, and several other countries.
The church also denied reports circulating on some social media pages claiming that Pastor Nihad Hassan’s wife had been detained, stressing that these reports are untrue.
The church called on the Syrian authorities to immediately release Pastor Hassan. It also urged media outlets and social media pages to exercise accuracy and caution when publishing information concerning his case, emphasizing that its official page is the authoritative source for information about him.
At the conclusion of its statement, the church called on churches and believers to pray for Pastor Nihad Hassan, quoting the Bible: “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” (Acts 12:5)
Note: This text is translated from the original Arabic version. Read the Arabic version:Click here
