9,000 Jailed Christians Receive Sentence Reductions for Christmas in Indonesia
Indonesia reduced the sentences of over 9,000 Christian prisoners on Christmas day, including the sentence of a Christian governor jailed on blasphemy charges.
Christian Persecution – Asia
India Tightens Christmas Security After Christians Attacked
Christians and others in India celebrated Christmas despite fears of an anti-Christian backlash in some parts of the predominantly Hindu country.
Pakistan: mourners bury 11 killed in Quetta church suicide attack, as 50 injured
Pakistani Christian mourners today (Monday) are burying their dead only days before they should be celebrating Christ’s birth.
Suicide bombers attack Pakistan church, killing at least 9, officials say
Two suicide bombers attacked a church in Pakistan where hundreds of worshippers were attending service ahead of Christmas, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens of others, officials said.
Christians in India Arrested, Beaten by Hindu Extremists After Praying for Sick Man
Seven Christians in India have been booked on charges of hurting religious feelings after Hindu extremists savagely beat them when they gathered to pray for a sick man at his home, sources said.
Franklin Graham Holds Rare Crusade in Vietnam, Says Communist Gov’t Is Warming Toward Christianity
Evangelist Franklin Graham said that multitudes responded to Jesus Christ during his two-day evangelistic crusade in Vietnam, and argued that the Communist government there is starting to warm up to Christianity.
Hindu Extremists Beat Pastors, Stop Gospel Event in India
Berating and slapping two pastors into signing an apology letter before police, Hindu extremists stopped a planned three-day gospel meeting in Chhattisgarh state, India minutes before it was to begin, sources said.
ISIS Militants in Philippines Targeted Christians for Worst Abuse: Report
Dozens of Christian civilians were killed while others in the community bore the brunt of the six-month conflict on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao between the country’s military and militants allied to the Islamic State group, which ended last month, according to a detailed report by Amnesty International.
Two Pastors in Burma Sentenced to Prison
Two assistant pastors arrested by the Burma (Myanmar) army last December were sentenced to prison on Friday (Oct. 27) on false charges of unlawful association, defaming the military and spying, sources said.
Officials, Police in Tamil Nadu State, India Halt Worship in 10 Churches
Officials and police in Tamil Nadu state, India, have ordered 10 churches to discontinue worship services, sources said.
Nepal: President Signs Law Criminalizing Evangelism, Human Rights Group Warns
The President of Nepal Bidhya Devi Bhandari has signed into law legislation that makes religious conversion a crime, the international human rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide has reported.
6 Police Officers Arrested for Beating Christian Teen to Death in Pakistan, Activists Say
Six police officers in Pakistan have been arrested and charged with murder after they allegedly beat to death a Pakistani Christian teenager earlier this month, according to human rights advocates.
Violence Against Christians Increases as Elections Draw Close in India’s Karnataka State
On September 17, 2017, suspected Hindu radicals attacked an Assembly of God church in India’s Karnataka state. After the attack, church attendance has plummeted as Christians in the area fear another attack. It is not surprising that attacks are increasing in Karnataka as state elections are scheduled to occur early next year. Hindu hardline groups want to silence Christians and ensure that they are unable to practice their faith.
Christians in Nepal Sentenced to Prison for Praying for Ill Woman Are Released
Four Christians in Nepal sentenced to five years in prison on false charges of “witchcraft” and “violence” were released today after a high court annulled their convictions, church leaders said.
Pastor in India Perseveres amid Persecution by Hindu Extremists
A band of Hindu extremists who had snuck into a house-church service beat a pastor with steel rods and sticks, one of them yelling that they would stop if he shouted, ‘Hail, Lord Ram [Jai Sri Ram]!’
Christians Fear Crackdown on Religion Under Evangelism Ban in Nepal
While attacks against the Christian minority has increased in Nepal, the Himalayan country’s parliament passed a bill criminalizing religious conversion and the “hurting of religious sentiment,” aiming to restrict evangelism. The move is likely to further escalate Christian persecution.
Nepal Bill Criminalizes Religious Conversion
The Nepali parliament passed a Bill on 8 August criminalizing religious conversion and the ‘hurting of religious sentiment’. It is expected to become law once the approval of the president has been given.
Underground Churches in North Korea Growing
Christianity is spreading in North Korea as more North Koreans are rejecting the regime of Kim Jung-un and searching for faith a defector told The Telegraph.
Christian Persecution in India Hits Record High in First Half of 2017
As reported earlier this year, the first quarter of 2017 saw 248 persecution incidents wherein Christians were harassed, threatened or attacked for their faith in India. More recent records indicate the number of incidents in first six months of 2017 is now up to 410 incidents. This represents an enormous increase in persecution as there were only 441 incidents reported in 2016 for the entire year.
North Korea is executing, torturing and enslaving those who practice religion, US says in new report
The North Korean regime has continued to position itself as one of the world’s worst persecutors of the religious, torturing and killing people who practice their faith, according to a State Department report released Tuesday.