Pray for life and gospel freedom cases today

Two important Christian Legal Centre cases are taking place today and we’d greatly value your prayer for both of them.

Christian street preacher Andrew Sathiyavan is challenging a ruling that said he should have done his street preaching and ministry online during Covid. Meanwhile, parents Lanre Haastrup and Rashid and Aliya Abbasi will seek permission to appeal a High Court ruling which said that identities of clinicians involved in end-of-life cases should remain secret forever.

Read on to find out more about these cases and how you can pray.

Can street ministry take place online?

Andrew Sathiyavan was given a covid fine after being arrested for preaching and supporting the homeless on Easter Sunday 2020. He will appeal a ruling which upheld the issuing of the fine and said that he should have done his street preaching and ministry online.

Video footage of the incident reveals Andrew being questioned and arrested on Sutton High Street in south London on Easter Sunday 2020 after being told by the police that preaching the gospel was ‘”not allowed.”

Andrew said he was ‘treated like a criminal for preaching about Jesus Christ.’

The case highlights inconsistencies in the approach of the police to the regulations with members of the government and protestors acting with impunity throughout the pandemic and without police intervention.

Andrew is a full-time voluntary worker for Gospel Light Ministries and regularly preaches across the UK. His voluntary work involves preaching, supporting the homeless and people suffering from drug and alcohol addictions.

Ahead of the hearing, Andrew said: “Gospel preaching is my work. I tell people about the Good News of Jesus Christ, which preachers have done for centuries in this country. I seek to reach people living in fear and without hope.”

Please pray:

• for Andrew to know God’s blessing as he contends for gospel freedoms and continues to minister on the streets
• for Michael Phillips as he advocates for Andrew in court
• for a fair judgment from the judge that protects gospel freedom
• that Christian preaching and service wouldn’t be considered ‘not essential’ to society.

Find out more about Andrew’s case here.

Exposing the truth about life and death

Parents Rashid and Aliya Abbasi and Lanre Haastrup are seeking permission to appeal a High Court ruling which said that the identities of clinicians involved in end-of-life cases should remain secret forever.

Gagging orders have prevented both sets of parents from naming clinicians who presided over the end-of-life care of their seriously ill children. This has meant that parents have never been able to tell the full story of what happened to them due to reporting restrictions.

At the Court of Appeal, they will challenge these restrictions on the grounds that important life-and-death decisions by doctors should be subject to public scrutiny within the medical profession and beyond.

In the case of the Abbasis, hospital staff caring for their dying six-year-old daughter, Zainab, in intensive care, called the police to have the father removed from her bedside, as revealed in shocking police body cam footage. The Abbasi family say that there was a ‘toxic environment’ surrounding the medical care of their daughter which must be exposed.

In 2018, life-support for the Haastrup’s one-year-old son, Isaiah, was removed against the wishes of the parents. Mr Justice Macdonald, in the High Court, agreed with the clinicians that while Isaiah could potentially survive for many years, continuation of life support was not in his best interests. Isaiah was expected to die immediately after the removal of artificial ventilation, but in fact died several hours later.

Please pray:

• for the families, Rashid and Aliya Abbasi and Lanre Haastrup as they seek justice and to expose the truth in their cases
• for the judges in the case, Sir Geoffrey Vos and Lady Justice King to rule fairly and wisely
• for David Lock QC, Bruno Quintavalle and Pavel Stroilov who are representing the families
• for parents to be able to properly share the truth about their children and their treatment in these end-of-life cases

Find out more about Rashid and Aliya Abbasi’s case here.