Documentary record Bound by Fear
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Conviction Christian institutions & contexts Other or denomination not established Suva, Fiji · 2017

Fiji: self-styled 'last prophet' convicted on all ten counts against four women of his prayer group

Record class

Core record

Evidence status

Convicted

Authority role

leader of the Jezreel Lion of Judah church, styling himself 'the last prophet' and claiming to be Jesus within the group

Organization

Jezreel Lion of Judah, Suva

Spiritual nexus

Four women held silent for years by the belief that speaking against the prophet meant sickness or death — the threat was the doctrine.

  • Prophecy or divine command
  • Threatened spiritual consequence

Evidence structure

Proceedings

  1. 2017-06-27 · conviction on all counts and sentence

    High Court of Fiji, Suva. Jone Cokanauto, leader of the Jezreel Lion of Judah church who styled himself 'the last prophet' and claimed to be Jesus within the group, was found guilty on all ten counts — rape, indecent assault and attempted rape — against four women members across thirteen years. Victims testified he told them they would sicken or die if they spoke. He was sentenced on 27 June 2017 to 20 years with a nineteen-year non-parole period.

Documented coercion mechanisms

  • death-and-sickness threats framed as spiritual consequence for disclosure
  • thirteen years of prophetic authority over the group's women

Primary record

Sources

national public broadcaster sentencing report RNZ Pacific: 'Fiji pastor jailed for 20 years for rapes'.

Regional public broadcaster's court report.

national newspaper court reporting trial report Fijivillage trial coverage.

Documents the spiritual-threat testimony.

Related record

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