Prague, March 8 (CTK) – The Czech Bishops Conference (CBK) call for a fair solution to the situation of a group of Chinese Christians who are asking for asylum in the Czech Republic, CBK spokesman Frantisek Jemelka told journalists on Thursday.
The bishops want to prey for them during the diving services on Sunday, Jemelka said.
Two weeks ago, the Interior Ministry announced that it had granted asylum to eight of them, while it turned down another 70 applications.
“We are not indifferent to the outcome of the process and to further fates of these people,” the CBK said.
“This is why we call for a fair solution to their situation, worsened by uncertainty and fears,” it added.
“We are grateful for those who were granted the asylum since they obtained a hope for the life in free society. We also believe in a fair re-examination of the decisions on not granting asylum to most of these applicants,” the CBK said.
The bishops hope a good solution for further life of the people who are in a very complicated situation.
“In the event we will be able to contribute in any way, we are prepared,” they said.
A lawyer of the Organisation for Aid to Refugees (OPU), Hana Frankova, said last week that most rejected applicants would challenge the decisions in court.
The Czech authorities were dealing with the Chinese applications for two years. The Interior Ministry said the applicants had to prove that they were persecuted in their homeland. The fact that they were members of a minority community was not enough for granting asylum to them, the ministry said.
