Igreja Pentecostal e Apostólica Missão Jesus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Igreja Pentecostal e Apostolica Missão Jesus is a pentecostal church comitted to socially deprived´s people´s cause and human rights defense headquartered at São Paulo city,Brazil.

On the beginning of October 2001, a small group of people meet in a day of September to raise a church. With no special reason, they choose September,11th, 2001, a Thursday, to do so.

Once initiated the meeting, the events of September 11, 2001 attacks in USA happened. This people decide, as main goal of church, fight against all forms of evil.

Igreja Pentecostal e Apostolica Missão Jesus is focused on human rights in Brazil - a country well know for its constants violations of human rights and assassination of Human Rights Defenders on past years.

This hard job, specially in a country where human rights are disbeliefed by authorities, brings many problems to church´s members, culminating with illegal seize and arrest of four volunteers of Pastoral dos Direitos Humanos of church, among then a lawyer, Mr Antonio Fernandez Saenz, a journalist, Ms.Dirce Ramiro de Andrade, and two evangelical ministers, Jose Fernandez Saenz and Manuel Fernando Fernandez Saenz, on September 2005, by Polícia Militar do Estado de São Paulo

Quoting Amnesty Report 2006:

"In September, military police raided the offices of Antonio Fernandez Saenz, a lawyer working with the socially deprived inhabitants of São Bernardo do Campo, south of São Paulo. The officers allegedly did not present a search warrant and took several documents containing statements by local residents accusing civil and military police of torture, extortion and sexually assaulting children. When Antonio Fernandez Saenz tried to report the incident to the civil police, he was threatened and intimidated. According to reports, he continued to receive anonymous death threats."

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR190222005?open&of=ENG-BRA

Quoting US State Department on "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005" about Brazil;

"A number of domestic and international human rights groups generally operated without government restriction, investigating and publishing their findings on human rights cases. Federal officials usually were cooperative and responsive to their views. Although federal and state officials in many cases sought the aid and cooperation of NGOs in addressing human rights problems, human rights monitors occasionally were threatened and harassed for their efforts to identify and take action against human rights abusers, particularly members of the state police forces. On September 21, AI reported death threats against Antonio Fernandez Saenz, a lawyer who provided legal assistance to socially deprived inhabitants of Sao Bernardo do Campo, Sao Paulo State. According to AI, military police threatened Saenz and his family and also broke into his office and stole documents which allegedly incriminated civil and military police in human rights violations."

http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61718.htm

Quoting United Nations Comission on Human Rights, 27/March/2006;

"On 10 October 2005 the Special Rapporteur sent a joint urgent appeal with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights, regarding Antonio Fernandez Saenz,, lawyer, Manuel Fernando Fernandez Saenz, evangelical minister, José Fernandez Saenz, evangelical minister, and Dirce Ramiro de Andrade, journalist working for the evangelical church. Antonio Fernandez Saenz is a lawyer who provides legal assistance to socially deprived inhabitants of the Jardim Lavínia, Silvinha and Montanhão neighbourhoods in São Bernardo do Campo, a town south of São Paulo. In addition he provides voluntary legal support to the human rights chapter of the Pentecostal and Apostolic Church of the Mission of Jesus in São Paulo, which is run by his two brothers Manuel Fernando Fernandez Saenz and José Fernando Saenz, who, like him, have dual Spanish and Brazilian citizenship. Journalist Dirce de Andrade works at the same church as the two brothers. According to the information received, on 3 September 2005, after midnight, it was reported that several military police officers forced their way into Antonio Fernandez Saenz’s office in São Bernardo do Campo. The officers reportedly presented no search warrant and took several documents containing statements by local residents accusing the civil and military police of torture, extortion and sexually assaulting children. After reporting the robbery to the military police, officers from the 2nd Company of the 6th Battalion in the State of São Paulo allegedly tried to dissuade Antonio Fernandez Saenz from filing a complaint, and threatened and intimidated him and his wife. Journalist Dirce de Andrade was also threatened with detention and prohibited from taking any photographs at the scene. Subsequently, Dirce de Andrade, Antonio Fernandez Saenz, Manuel Fernando Fernandez and José Fernandez Saenz went to the 2nd police station of São Bernardo do Campo to file a complaint there. They were reportedly charged with “disobedience” and “disrespect of authority” before being released. Following the reported intervention of a local police officer, Antonio Fernandez Saenz filed a complaint regarding the unlawful entry to, and theft of documents from, his office. Dirce de Andrade, Antonio Fernandez Saenz, Manuel Fernando Fernandez and José Fernandez had reported continuing harassment and anonymous telephone calls threatening them and urging them to drop the complaint. Concern was expressed for the safety of Antonio Fernandez Saenz and his wife, Manuel Fernando Fernandez Saenz, José Fernandez Saenz and Dirce Ramiro de Andrade. It was feared that the search of Antonio Fernandez Saenz’s office and the subsequent threats constitute an attempt to silence these individuals and prevent them from documenting and reporting on alleged human rights violations committed by the civil and military police."

http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/chr/docs/62chr/E.CN.4.2006.52.Add.1.pdf

After this facts in September 2005, files and staff allocated to human rights were re-alocated to a new place, in order to avoid death threats and a new theft of documents.

The motto´s church is "God's in his Heaven, All's right with the world". These words are from a poem by Robert Browning

Church also supports Soldados de Cristo - Christ´s Soldiers, a group of missionaries working on "hot spots" on Africa, Asia and Brazil.

Site of church ( in Portuguese only ) is at http://www.missaojesus.org