Vietnam Pastor Beheaded After Refusing To Halt Church Services, Friends Say
An influential Vietnamese evangelical pastor and evangelist has been beheaded after he refused to halt his massive church services, his friends said Saturday, September 30.
Christian Persecution – Asia
Vietnam’s Unexpected Amnesty Gives Hope For Christian Prisoners
Hundreds of Montagnard Degar Christian prisoners in Vietnam were anxiously awaiting news Tuesday, September 26, whether an announced amnesty for at least hundreds of political dissidents would also apply to them.
Beatings, Threats Continue in Madhya Pradesh, India
Hindu extremists severely beat two pastors on September 24 in Madhya Pradesh, India, before dragging them to a police station and accusing them of ‘forcing’ conversions. Two days earlier, extremists had attacked and injured two evangelists in the same state, later accusing them of ‘hurting Hindu sentiments.’
India State Police Orders End To Christian Worship Services, official
Police in the southern Indian state of Karnataka have ordered several Christian leaders not to hold Sunday worship services saying Hindu militants planned to attack their churches, an official told BosNewsLife Saturday, September 23.
Pakistan Jails Teenage Christian On Blasphemy Charges
A teenage Pakistani Christian spent Saturday, September 23, behind bars on suspicion of ripping book pages containing Quranic verses, the latest in a series of detentions raising concerns about Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws.
Indonesia Christians Executed
Three Christian men who were suspected of involvement in killing Muslims have been executed despite international doubts about the evidence against them, both officials and Christians rights investigators said late Thursday, September 21.
Indonesian Christians to be Executed Thursday
The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has just become informed that the execution date has been re-scheduled for three Christians involved in the Poso conflict. The men are to be executed on Thursday, September 21, 2006. They were the only ones charged in a conflict in which massive numbers of Muslims participated.
India Hindu Militants Attack House Church As Violence Spreads
Dozens of Hindu militants stormed a house church Saturday, September 16, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, where several other Christian gatherings were attacked earlier in the week, a Christian official said.
Vietnam Detains Dozens Of House Church Christians And Activists
Vietnamese security forces have detained 24 house church Christians who support a religious rights group which investigates the reported persecution of members of the, predominantly Christian, Montagnard Degar ethnic minority, friends told BosNewsLife Monday, September 11.
Burma Military Crackdown on Kachin Group and Churches
The military government of Burma has launched a new violent campaign against a largely Christian ethnic group and its churches, BosNewsLife learned Friday, September 8.
India State Forces Thousands of Dalits to Leave Homes; Pastors Attacked
Thousands of Dalits in India’s Tamil Nadu state faced a difficult Saturday, September 9, amid fresh reports that they may be deported from their homes. Elsewhere in India, pastors were attacked on charges of “forcibly converting” villagers.
Indonesia Muslim Mob Burns Down Mission Church in Aceh, Christians Say
Christians in Indonesia’s volatile province of Aceh on Saturday, September 9, were without their Indonesia Evangelical Mission Church Saturday, after an angry Muslim mob set fire to the complex because evangelicals planned, ‘revival’ meetings there, several sources said.
India Hindu Militants Storm Christian School
Dozens of Hindu militants stormed a Christian school in Lucknow, the capital of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh late Sunday, September 10, threatening nuns and vandalizing the complex, Indian Christians told BosNewsLife.
Hindu Extremists in India Trap, Beat 60-Year-Old Evangelist
Hindu extremists investigating the activities of Varghese Thomas, an evangelist in Karnakata state, laid a trap for him on Sunday (September 3), before beating him and his wife. Thomas is 60 and his wife, Leelama, is 57.
Bibles in High Demand in China and India
The demand for Bibles is rising in China and India, the most populous countries of the world.
Montagnard Christian Dies In Vietnam Prison After Torture, Group Says
A long-time jailed member of Vietnam’s predominantly Christian Montagnard Degar community has been tortured to death, BosNewsLife learned from supporters Wednesday, September 6.
India Hindu Militants Attack Church In Tense State
Tensions remained high Wednesday, September 6, in an area of India’s Jammu and Kashmir state after dozens of Hindu militants stormed a church and attacked Christians, including women and children, as they were attending a Sunday worship service, local Christians said.
India State Releases Pastors And Bible School Students
Two pastors and five Bible school students were reportedly free Saturday, September 2, after a court in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir granted them bail following their detention on charges of “concealing identity” and “forced conversion.”
Uzbekistan Church Leaders in Hiding amid Beatings and Deportations
Fearing beatings, detentions and deportations “many” Uzbek Protestant church leaders and their families were in hiding Friday, September 1, as Uzbekistan celebrated its 15th anniversary of independence, Christians said.
Vietnam Pastor and ‘Cyber Dissident’ Released From Jail
Leading Christian and secular human rights groups welcomed Thursday, August 31 the release of a church leader and a well-known Internet activist as part of Vietnam’s National Day of amnesty of thousands of prisoners.