Nepal: Strategizing with Partners in Kathmandu

After three years of remote advocacy in D.C. for the release and acquittal of Pastor Keshav Acharya imprisoned nearly 8,000 miles away in Nepal, Jubilee Campaign USA was able to meet face to face with the man triply arrested for sharing the gospel and offering comfort during a time of global insecurity.

In April, we were able to travel to Kathmandu to participate in the annual Religious Liberty Partnership consultation and bring Pastor Keshav to the table with those touched by his story and determined to secure his release.

These efforts would be unrealized without your vital contributions.

In April 2023, Jubilee Campaign traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal to participate in the annual Religious Liberty Partnership consultation with our partners in advocacy across the world. In collaboration with Jubilee Campaign Netherlands and Voice for Justice, we were able to arrange the travel of Pastor Keshav Acharya to the conference and hold a meeting with his legal team regarding his case and next steps aiming towards his acquittal.

Pastor Keshav’s nearly four-year-old case dates back to March 2020 when Nepalese authorities in Kaski District arrested without warrant the church leader on charges of spreading misinformation about COVID-19. This citation was in response to a video uploaded onto YouTube in which Pastor Keshav expresses his belief that prayer can cure the disease. Released upon his wife’s bail payment in April, Pastor Keshav was immediately re-detained the following day for proselytism. In November 2021, the Dolpa District Court convicted Pastor Keshav, subsequently sentencing him to two years’ imprisonment which was later reduced to a one-year term by the Jumla High Court in July 2022.

In his appeal, Pastor Keshav explained that carrying videos and religious materials and sharing these does not undermine the religion of another person and does not necessarily have the intent to convert another person. He also stated in his appeal that criminalizing and punishing him for practicing his own religion and following Christian rituals is contrary to the right to religious freedom enshrined in both the Nepali constitution and international conventions.

Despite our shared efforts with Jubilee Campaign Netherlands, ADF International, Barrister and religious freedom expert Mark Hill, and Pastor Keshav’s legal defense team to compile a robust and comprehensive grounds for appeal, the Supreme Court of Nepal upheld Pastor Keshav’s sentencing this October.

The judgment has deeply affected Pastor Keshav's family, who vehemently assert that he did not commit any crime. They grapple with the emotional and psychological impact of the decision and the looming fear of his potential arrest and one year imprisonment. Junu Acharya, Pastor Keshav’s wife, expressed profound disturbance and heartbreak over the Supreme Court’s decision. She views the legal investigations and legal process as discriminatory and biased. Pastor Keshav Acharya conveyed his deep sadness about the judgment, reiterating that his actions were driven by faith and a desire to spread love and blessings. He remains hopeful for a just reconsideration of his case, strongly believing in his innocence.

Expressing shock at the Supreme Court’s decision, Pastor Kashev’s lawyer, Indra Aryal, emphasized the disregard for grounds presented in the appeal petition. He voiced concerns that the decision appeared to curtail religious freedom and freedom of expression, particularly for religious minorities, and highlighted the apparent flaws in the legal process.

Nepal, a nation known for its diversity, enshrines the right to freedom of religion in its Constitution, acknowledging its multi-ethnic, multilingual, multi-religious, and multicultural population. The decision to criminalize and punish Pastor Keshav Acharya for religious activities within the confines of one’s belief, under Section 158 of the National Penal Code, contradicts the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution of Nepal, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, and Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

We have not lost hope in advocating for Pastor Keshav’s release and acquittal despite a final decision by the court. We are continuing to raise his case on international stages such as the United Nations and the European Union and, with your help, we hope to expand our contacts and engage with Nepali embassies and envoys to promote religious freedom and lobby for the pastor’s release in the coming year.

Thank you for your care and consideration for religious prisoners across the world. We hope that you will echo our prayers this holiday season for our courageous brothers and sisters to find peace in the Lord this Christmas and renewed hope that our activism will achieve waves of acquittals, releases and family reunions in 2024.

"Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9