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.
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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.
Leading Cuban Christian Dissident Antunez Beaten In Prison
Prison authorities have “brutally beaten” Jorge Luis GarcÃa Perez (Antunez), an influential Christian dissident serving an 18-year prison sentence in Cuba on charges of “spreading propaganda”, he and fellow activists confirmed Friday, August 25.
Vietnam Releases Internet Users After BosNewsLife Story, Ending Nine Months Detention
Three computer users jailed for comments they made on an Internet forum and website dedicated to religious freedom in Vietnam have been released by Vietnamese authorities after a story by Christian news agency BosNewsLife sparked international protests, fellow activists confirmed, Friday, August 18.
China Christians Warn Of “Worst Persecution in 140 Years”
Over 20 Christians detained during the demolition of a large church in Zhejiang Province were believed to be still in prison Monday, August 14, amid fears that more churches would be destroyed by Chinese security forces as part of what local believers called the worst persecution in 140 years.
Pastor Evicted As Government Intervenes in a Three-Self Church in Shanxi Province
A pastor in the Three-Self Church in Pinglu County, Shanxi Province was prohibited from preaching and forced to leave the church by the Chinese Religious Affairs Bureau.
Afghanistan Executions Raise New Fears about Arrested Aid Workers
Four executions on Wednesday in Afghanistan have speed up diplomatic efforts to free 24 aid workers, including eight foreigners, who were arrested by the country’s Islamic “Taliban” rulers, on charges of spreading Christianity.
Secret Documents Reveal Ethnic Cleansing of Christians in Iraq, Leader says
Secret documents show Saddam Hussein’s regime and local Kurdish leaders were involved in the “ethnic cleansing”, “gassing” and “Islamization” of Assyrian Christians in Northern Iraq, with international religious aid organizations refusing to intervene, an Assyrian official claimed Wednesday, August 4.
Germany Halts Deportation Iranian Christian
A German court has ruled that German authorities cannot deport a Christian asylum seeker back to Iran where he may face execution for converting from Islam to Christianity.
Germany Halts Deportation Iranian Christian
A German court has ruled that German authorities cannot deport a Christian asylum seeker back to Iran where he may face execution for converting from Islam to Christianity, news reports said Thursday, July 27.
Macedonia Baptists Fight Discrimination
An influential US-based Christian human rights group has expressed concern over the situation of a growing Baptist Church in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia amid reports that Protestant churches are discriminated in the mainly Orthodox nation, BosNewsLife learned Tuesday, July 25.
Somalia: Death Sentence For Those Not Praying
Christians involved in peacekeeping in Somalia urged the international community to intervene, as rival militias reportedly prepared for battled Saturday, July 8, in the troubled African nation’s capital Mogadishu.
Vietnam Jails Montagnard Christians Amid Leadership Change
Six Evangelical Christians of Vietnam’s Montagnard Degar minority were facing another tense day Wednesday, June 28, after a court reportedly jailed them on charges of inciting religious unrest and organizing illegal border crossings to neighboring Cambodia.
China Arrests Nearly 2000 Christians In 12 Months, Report Shows
Chinese Security forces arrested at least almost 2000 Chinese Christians, including house church pastors, within a period of one year, and many were tortured, a report released Monday, June 26, shows.
Comoros Detains Christians Amid Concerns Over Persecution
Four men remained in jail in the Comoros Saturday, June 17, for their “involvement in Christianity” amid a crackdown on Christians on these Indian Ocean islands, well informed Christian sources said.
China Detains Disabled House Church Leader For Printing Bibles, Group Says
A well-known disabled Chinese ‘house church’ leader has been detained on charges of “illegally printing and distributing Bibles and other Christian literature,” church sources confirmed Thursday, June 15.
US and Rights Group Condemn Uzbekistan’s Crackdown on Christians
Human rights officials in Europe and the United States expressed concern Wednesday, May 3, over the persecution of Christians in the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, nearly a year after hundreds of people died when security forces opened fire on pro-democracy demonstrators.
India to Release Jailed Bishop Thomas On Bail
The president of one of India’s largest evangelical mission organizations will be released on bail after 47 days of imprisonment on charges related to alleged anti-Hindu activities, officials said Monday, May 1.
More Christians Arrested in Wake of ‘Apostasy’
An avalanche of media coverage of an Afghan man facing the death penalty for converting to Christianity has apparently sparked the arrest and deepening harassment of other Afghan Christians in the ultra-conservative Muslim country.