(Photo: Courtesy William Devlin)

Christian Post Report – Pastor William Devlin stands in a refugee camp in Dohuk, Iraq, in this undated photo.

A New York City-based pastor was detained earlier this week at a military prison in Sudan while attempting to visit two Presbyterian pastors facing potential death sentences after they were charged with various trumped-up espionage and conspiracy charges by the government.

This week, the Rev. William Devlin, pastor of the Infinity Bible Church in South Bronx, visited Sudan for his eighth time in nine years.

After meeting with pastors from the Sudan Council of Churches, Devlin was invited to travel along with three other Sudanese pastors, including SCC General Secretary Kori Kuku, to the Omdurman Prison for Men on Wednesday in hopes of visiting with imprisoned pastors Yat Michael and Peter Yen Reith.

As previously reported, Michael and Reith were imprisoned over last winter and have been charged with seven different crimes against the state including spying, undermining the constitution, publishing information against the government, disturbing public peace, insulting religion, conspiracy and inciting hate among tribes.

In a Friday afternoon interview with The Christian Post, Devlin said he spoke with the pastors’ attorney, who asserts that all allegations against the men are false. The charges, however, are serious enough to sentence them to capital punishment or life in prison.

In trying to show the imprisoned pastors that they have the support of American Christians, Devlin said he was anxious for the opportunity to meet with the pastors. Once Devlin and the three other pastors arrived at Omdurman Prison, which is located just an hour outside of Khartoum, they were forced to wait in a small waiting room, the size of “two walk-in closets,” for over 30 minutes with about 50 other people.

While waiting, Devlin said he took out his phone and started taking pictures and videos of the conditions inside the prison, which eventually caught the attention of the of a prison guard who began questioning the 61-year-old American.

“A guard came up to me after we were there for about 30 minutes and he said ‘Come with me, you are taking pictures.’ I said, ‘yeah,'” Devlin explained. “We met initially with some guards and with some supervisors.”

Devlin said he told the guards and supervisors that he was unaware that they did not allow photography inside the prison and apologized. He also offered them his phone so that they could delete any pictures or video he took. But, they continued interrogating him and asked why he was in Sudan.

While Devlin was being interrogated, Michael and Reith were finally allowed to meet with their visitors. The guards allowed the three Sudanese pastors to visit with the imprisoned pastors but forced Devlin to stay.

“I tried to get in to see them. The guards said, ‘No, the other three can go but not you.’ So I did miss the opportunity to meet pastors Peter and Michael but the Sudanese pastors visited with them,” Devlin explained.

“Then, the pastors came back and I, along with the pastors, were escorted to what I think were the two wardens of the prison. They were dressed in military uniforms. One guy had two stars on his lapel and the other guy had three stars. At that point, I was questioned further.”

“Most of the time, the hour that I was with the other two wardens, my total time of being detained was about 60 to 90 minutes. They deleted the photos and they said to me that I had committed a crime,” Devlin continued. “I said to the wardens ‘I apologize, I ask your forgiveness and that I was not aware that you had a policy.’ They said this is the Omdurman Prison for Men and is considered a military installation and that I had committed a crime.”

Devlin explained that the wardens were insistent that he had committed a crime but luckily, Kuku explained to the wardens that Devlin was in Sudan as a guest of Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ali Karti.

“At that point, they said, ‘Here is your phone back, here is your passport, you are free to go.'” Devlin said. “I have been coming for nine years and everytime I come, Karti is my host and I am a guest of his. With that, the three pastors and I exited the prison, got in our vehicle and we made our way out.”

Even though Devlin’s detention only lasted about an hour, he said he would have been “happy” to be incarcerated for much longer.

“I was ready to be incarcerated in the same prison as pastors Peter and Michael and I was happy to be incarcerated for whatever length it would have been,” Devlin stated. “Again, my goal is to help the situation and not to hinder it in anyway.”

Although Devlin did not get to personally meet with pastors Michael and Reith, the other pastors explained to him that they told the imprisoned pastors that there was an American pastor that came to visit them but guards had detained him. The three pastors also told Michael and Reith that Devlin desired to continually advocate for their release and help support their families.

“It was reported to me that the two pastors appreciated my visit and they were glad that I came and that they were very grateful and rejoicing in having the ability to suffer in the name of Christ,” Devlin said.

Devlin added that the pastors’ attorney raised concern that his visit might cause the government to retaliate against the men by transferring them to a prison with worse conditions and no visiting rights. He told CP, however, that he’s challenging more American pastors to go to Sudan to visit with Michael and Reith.

“My challenge to other American pastors is to get on a plane like I did and go over there. Get a visa, which I could help them with, and get over there and visit these pastors,” he said. “Don’t be so self-centered about your church, but remember that Jesus said in Matthew 25 that ‘When you were in prison, you visited me.’ That’s common obedience to the Gospel and it’s Christianity 101.”

“Imagine if we had 10 or 15 or 20 American pastors go over and visit these men in prison — can you imagine the statement that would make to the Sudanese government, who want to come into the community of nations,” Devlin asserted. “They want the economic sanctions dropped. They want to be taken off the terror watch list that the U.S. has Sudan on. This would be the beginning of real religious freedom and protection for the Christians who live in Sudan.”

Devlin also explained that he has relationships with “several dozen” Sudanese officials who ask him to tell members of the U.S. Congress good things about Sudan in hopes it will create a better relationship with the U.S. government.

“I tell these same Sudan government officials that I cannot be an honest representative of Sudan if the government of Sudan continues to imprison pastors and people like Mariam Ibrahim,” Devlin said. “I have called this current situation of pastors Michael and Peter, ‘Mariam, Act 2.’ So I have asked Sudan government officials to release the pastors and get on with the work of religious freedom in Sudan.”