Baptist Pastor in Azerbaijan Still in Jail: Prosecution Given Another Chance
The judge in the criminal trial of Baptist pastor Hamid Shabanov in Azerbaijan has not yet convicted him.
Christian Persecution – Russia & Former USSR
Belarus Fined Christian For Bible Study Group
A Christian in Belarus has been fined the equivalent of nine months minimum wage salary for attempting to organise an informal Bible study and discussion group, Christian rights investigators said Wednesday, July 23.
Uzbekistan “Bans” Bibles
Thousands of Christians in Uzbekistan were without anticipated Bibles and related Christian literature Sunday, July 13, as authorities have reportedly imposed a ban on Bible imports, a major Christian publishing group said.
Protestant Christian Faces 15 Years Prison In Uzbekistan
A Protestant Christian leader in Uzbekistan faces up to 15 years in prison on charges that include teaching religion without official approval and encouraging people to read "prohibited Christian literature," a major religious rights group said Monday, July 14.
Tajikistan Protestant Church Threatened With Destruction Amid Crackdown Across Former Soviet Union
In several former Soviet republics Christians were detained or facing their last worship service in their church building Sunday, June 29, as authorities stepped up a crackdown on mainly Protestant Christians, including believers involved in evangelism or unauthorized gatherings.
Russia Closing Down Methodist Church
Members of a United Methodist congregation in Russia were without a church Sunday, April 13, after authorities closed it for running a Sunday School without government permission, the latest in a series of police raids targeting Christian education, Christians said.
Uzbekistan Christian Missing After Police Raid
A charismatic Christian in Uzbekistan remained missing Saturday, April 12, more than a week after he was reportedly detained as part of a government crackdown on Protestant believers and other religious communities in this Islamic nation.
Uzbekistan Police Raid Christian Gathering
A devoted Christian in Uzbekistan’s second largest city faced more police interrogations Saturday, April 5, after security forces broke up a Christian home meeting, a well-informed rights group told BosNewsLife.
Missionaries Concerned After Church Attacks In Russia
Christian missionaries have expressed concerns about the situation of Protestant Christians in Russia after attacks on a Baptist and Pentecostal church outside Moscow, apparently by members of a group supporting President Vladimir Putin, BosNewsLife established Tuesday, January 8.
Baptist Pastors Face Uncertain Future In Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan
Two Baptist pastors in two neighboring former Soviet republics faced detention and deportation Tuesday, December 4, amid an increased crackdown on evangelical churches in the region, BosNewsLife learned.
Turkmenistan Warns Released Baptist Pastor To Stop Worship Services
A Baptist pastor in Turkmenistan who was released after spending eights months of a three-year labor camp sentence faced new problems Sunday, November 25, amid pressure from authorities to stop his worship services.
Azerbaijan Prison Forces Pastor To Pay For Food
A Baptist pastor serving two years imprisonment in Azerbaijan for “illegal religious services” is forced by officials to provide “high payments” for food, other basic needs and to meet relatives, BosNewsLife learned from investigators and family Thursday, November 22.
Fire Damages Christian Orphanage In Ukraine; Dozens Displaced
As winter sets in, dozens of children and adult women and men remained displaced Thursday, November 15, after a fire destroyed parts of a Christian orphanage near the western Ukrainian city of Rivne, missionaries told BosNewsLife.
Belarus Increasing Persecution Of Evangelicals, Missionaries Say
Supporters of the opposition in Belarus held a rally Sunday, October 28, to commemorate the victims of Stalin-era repressions, shortly after Christian missionaries said Belarusian authorities “continue the relentless pressure and persecution of the evangelical church” here.
Azerbaijan Baptist Pastor Facing Two Years Labor Camp
A Baptist pastor in Azerbaijan is facing a two-year prison sentence in a forced labor camp, after an appeals court refused to overturn the conviction, a rights group monitoring the case confirmed to BosNewsLife Tuesday, October 23.
Concerns Over Jailed Baptist Pastors In Turkmenistan And Azerbaijan
There was international concern Tuesday, August 14, about the fate of two detained Baptist leaders in the former Soviet republics of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.
Two-year prison term for Baptist pastor in Azerbaijan on trumped up charges
Baptist Pastor Zaur Balaev has been sentenced to two years in jail, after being convicted of using violence against a state representative.
Kazakhstan Baptists Fear More Persecution
Baptist Christians in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan faced an uncertain weekend Saturday, August 4, amid reports that authorities barred a mother and her young child from entering their home because of their involvement in a Baptist church.
Turkmenistan Deports Baptist Pastor
A Russian Baptist Pastor spent another Sunday, August 5, without his family after he was deported from Turkmenistan for his church activities, fellow Christians and human rights watchers said.
Health Deteriorating Of Jailed Baptist Pastor In Azerbaijan
A frail Baptist pastor prepared for another night in an Azerbaijani prison Friday, July 13, nearly two months after he was arrested on charges over 50 witnesses say are false.