U.S. senator requests Canada investigated for religious freedom violations over Alberta pastors arrests

A U.S. senator wants Canada investigated for violating religious freedom over the arrests of Alberta pastors accused of flouting COVID-19 restrictions.

Missouri Republican Josh Hawley has asked his country’s Commission on International Religious Freedom to consider putting Canada on its special watch list.

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He compares the arrests of pastors James Coates and Tim Stephens to something that would occur in China, which is believed to have detained more than a million Muslims in so-called re-education camps.

The commission says it has received Hawley’s request and that it’s looking in to it.

READ MORE: Calgary pastor Tim Stephens arrested again after allegedly violating COVID-19 rules

Coates spent a month in the Edmonton Remand Centre after he violated a bail condition not to hold church services that officials said were ignoring measures on COVID-19 capacity limits, physical distancing and masking.

Stephens remains in custody after he was arrested last week following repeated public complaints about ongoing services that ignored similar orders.

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