India: 11 Christians Freed After Two Years Imprisonment Under Anti-Conversion Law
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Eleven Christians in India’s Madhya Pradesh state have just been released from prison after being jailed in 2022 on baseless charges of forcing people to leave Hinduism for Christianity, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
The Christians’ release was secured by a law firm in Indore which focuses on helping Christians facing persecution; the firm serves believers, who are often impoverished, on a pro bono basis, ICC said.
The Open Doors international Christian advocacy organization explains in a website report that that Indian believers are increasingly threatened by hostile Hindu extremists who abuse harsh anti-conversion laws to persecute them.“This hostility is often driven by an ongoing belief among some Hindu extremists that Indians ought to be Hindu—and any faith outside of Hinduism is not welcome in India,” Open Doors states.
“This mindset has led to violent attacks across the country and impunity for the people who perpetrate this violence, especially in places where the authorities are also Hindu hardliners,” Open Doors says.
Twelve out of India’s 28 states now have anti-conversion laws. “More and more states are also implementing anti-conversion laws, creating an environment where any Christian who shares their faith can be accused of a crime, intimidated, harassed and even met with violence,” Open Doors notes.
Ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, India ranks 11 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
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