Free Rev Samson. Challenge injustice today.

Join the campaign.

This travesty of justice must be overturned.

Rev Samson is in prison in Myanmar/Burma. He’s been jailed because Myanmar’s military regime see him as a threat.

Why? He has been prosecuted – like most religious and political prisoners – on trumped-up charges under counterterrorism laws, which are routinely used by the military to silence opposition.

The reality? Rev Samson is a fearless advocate, speaking out against the military regime’s brutal oppression of its people, particularly religious communities. And it’s made him a target.

His most recent arrest and imprisonment came after he held a prayer meeting with members of the opposition National Unity Government (NUG).

To arrest, jail and prosecute one of Myanmar’s most prominent Christian pastors is a sign of how hostile this regime is to the church, and to Myanmar’s religious minorities.

Will you join us in calling on the UK government to do more to help free Rev Samson?

I want to add my name to help #FreeRevSamson.

View the letter wording

To:

Subject:

To: 
Lord Cameron, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
The Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief

We, the undersigned, write to express our grave concern at the unjust imprisonment and treatment of Reverend Dr Hkalam Samson by Myanmar’s military regime.

Reverend Dr Samson, one of the country’s most prominent religious leaders and an outspoken and courageous voice for human rights for the Kachin people, has been held in Myitkyina prison since his arrest in December 2022. 
He was sentenced to six years in prison on charges of “incitement”, “unlawful association” and an additional charge under the counter-terrorism law, simply for holding a prayer meeting and additional meetings with the democratic and ethnic opposition.

We welcome the actions taken by the UK and others in the international community to date, but we call on the UK government to make stronger interventions to bring an end to the unconscionable repression against religious actors, communities, and houses of worship in Myanmar/Burma.

We urge the UK Government to:
•	Increase its political pressure on Myanmar’s military junta, publicly condemning the unjust imprisonment of Rev Samson and calling for his immediate, unconditional release in the strongest possible terms.
•	Intensify efforts, coordinating with others in the international community, to help secure the release of religious and political prisoners who have unjustly detained and silenced since the coup.
•	Ensure that in all dialogues and exchanges with Myanmar, human rights are raised and demands made that Myanmar fulfils its human rights obligations, particularly with respect to the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief.

By prioritising urgent interventions on behalf of Rev Samson, and other religious prisoners in Myanmar, the UK will send a powerful message illustrating that freedom of religion or belief is indeed a foreign policy priority.

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Free Rev Samson. Challenge injustice today.

Join the campaign.

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