Long before their election in 2016, both President Trump and Vice President Pence had developed a strong track record fighting for persecuted Christians and other religious groups. And no administration in history has been more focused on protecting religious freedom in the United States and abroad.
Last month, Trump became the first U.S. president to host a meeting at the United Nations on religious freedom. During his remarks, Trump said that advocacy for religious freedom remains one of the “highest priorities” of his administration.
This global focus on the issue could prove very good news for a 5-year-old Pennsylvania boy named Yvan. Yvan is currently trapped in Kuwait with his mother, Marsha Lazareva — an Orthodox Christian who was falsely convicted by a Kuwaiti court this week and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.
Lazareva has been the target of a sustained campaign of harassment and persecution by rogue officials within the Kuwaiti government. She previously spent 474 days in a crowded Kuwaiti prison on a separate set of fabricated charges before finally having that conviction overturned by a Kuwaiti appeals court. This new conviction raises further concerns about corruption within the Kuwaiti legal system.
Prior to being detained, Lazareva was managing an investment company based out of Kuwait City. She was clearly targeted for being a successful Christian woman in a business environment dominated by Muslim men. This religious persecution extended to her trial and her time in prison, where she was reportedly denied access to a Bible and told things would go better for her if she converted to Islam.
Lazareva’s prolonged captivity has created tremendous psychological and spiritual damage for her family. It has prevented Yvan from being baptized at his family’s church in Philadelphia and from beginning kindergarten this fall with the rest of his classmates. Adding to their distress, Lazareva’s mother Lydia, was recently diagnosed with cancer but has been forced to suspend her ongoing treatment in Pennsylvania in order to return to Kuwait to support her daughter and grandson.
Marsha, Yvan, and their many supporters around the world have found faith and hope in the words of Trump and Pence. They have sent a clear message to countries like Kuwait that religious persecution will not be tolerated, especially when it comes to U.S. citizens.
At the United Nations, Trump was quoted as saying, “Too often people in positions of power preach diversity while silencing, shunning, or censoring the faithful. True tolerance means respecting the right of all people to express their deeply held religious beliefs.”
Pence has spoken out in support of numerous Christian women in the Middle East arrested for their religious beliefs. Most recently, he called on Iran to release Mahrokh Kanbara, vowing that “America will stand up for people of faith.”
These comments could just as easily be directed at Kuwait, and particularly at the individuals suspected of orchestrating the campaign to imprison Lazareva. This includes some high profile government officials — Kuwait’s attorney general, the chief prosecutor, and the chamberlain to the emir, among others.
And it isn’t only the White House they should be afraid of. Five members of the U.S. Congress have already called for an investigation and possible sanctions against these individuals. Under the Global Magnitsky Act, the U.S. has the authority to freeze assets belonging to individuals guilty of human rights violations and to ban them from traveling to America.
It would be easy to paint all of Kuwait as a villain in this story, but it should be noted that the emir has a reputation as a defender of human and religious rights. But given Lazareva’s false conviction this week, the time for action is running short.
Americans and people of faith around the world will be praying that the emir steps in to free this family before Trump and Pence are forced to take action against a longstanding U.S. ally.
Neil Bush is the son of former President George H.W. Bush and a member of the team of international advocates working to free Marsha Lazareva.
