Canadian missionary deported from Lebanon

Canadian missionary Bruce Balfour is a free man — deported from Lebanon two days after a military court acquitted him of collaborating with Israel.

Balfour, 52,�from Calgary, was released from the Roumieh prison, east of Beirut, early Wednesday.�He boarded a British Airways plane to Los Angeles via London Wednesday morning.

Balfour told reporters at Heathrow that conditions in the prison he has been in since his arrest July 10, were cramped, hot, humid and filthy.

Balfour praised the federal government and said the Canadian Embassy in Beirut “helped me get through this a little quicker than otherwise.”

Now, he’s planning a campaign for prisoners’ rights in the Lebanese justice and prison system.

“We’re going to start a campaign to expose what’s going on in the prison system in the evil regime that’s controlling Lebanon right now,” Balfour said.

“It’s an unbelievably abominable situation. It’s going to take some time to explain it all.”

Military prosecutors in Lebanon had accused Balfour of visiting Israel and collaborating with the enemy — a charge punishable by 15 years in jail. Lebanon, which is technically at war with Israel, prohibits any visitor with a passport bearing an Israeli stamp.

In August, Lebanese Prosecutor General Adnan Addoum said information on Balfour suggested he had travelled between Lebanon and Israel in a way that aroused suspicion.

At a court appearance last week, Balfour insisted he was not a spy and that he served God and Jesus. He said he had visited Israel on a religious mission. Balfour is believed to have been directing an evangelical project to help replant the biblical cedar forests in Lebanon.

During a hearing Monday, a military tribunal found Balfour not guilty of collaborating with Israel. However, it did convict him of “inciting sectarian sentiments,” but said the seven weeks he had spent in detention were sufficient punishment, and ordered his release.

According to a Lebanese military court order, Balfour is barred from returning to Lebanon for five years.

Read Another Article

Judge backs librarian’s right to wear cross
Support RNB: Buy your Tools & Hardware here

Related News Articles Topic(s): Bruce Balfour Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com Bruce Balfour Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog