US Officially Lists Azerbaijan as a Violator of Religious Freedoms

In a move welcomed by religious rights advocates, the United States has for the first time officially listed the Republic of Azerbaijan as a country which violates religious freedom, Christianity Today (CT) reports. A part of the former Soviet Union until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, Azerbaijan is a Muslim-majority transcontinental state which lies at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia.

Cash-Strapped Russia Fines Evangelical Christians

Evangelical Christians in Russia were forced to pay a “tax on faithfulness” in 2022, which will likely increase this year as part of a government crackdown on non-Orthodox faiths, rights investigators tell Worthy News.

Belarus: Authorities ban Christian church congregation from holding worship services

Authorities have now ordered the congregation at the New Life Church in Minsk, Belarus, to stop even the outdoor parking lot meetings they were reduced to after city officials sealed their church building last year, Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) reports. Ideologically close and loyal to Russia’s President Putin, Belarus’ authoritarian regime has criminalized unregistered Christian activity.

Tajikistan Bans New Churches

Tajikistan’s autocratic Islamic government has told Protestant church leaders that it will not register new churches, effectively banning congregations, Christians familiar with the talks said Thursday.

Russia Keeps Punishing Evangelicals in Crimea

Since Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014—one of the central points of conflict in the current clash between the two countries—Protestant Christians in the territory have faced greater government penalties for practicing their faith.

Russian Christian School Attack Injures Eight

As many as eight people were injured after a Russian teenager tried to blow himself up in an apparent suicide attack outside a Christian school and a monastery, officials said Monday.

Kazakhstan Limits Worship Possibilities

Devoted Christians face a difficult Christmas season in Kazakhstan after legislators approved one of Europe’s harshest religious laws limiting worship or other faith-based events.

Russian Court Fines Virus-Denying Priest

A Russian court has fined an influential priest for publicly denying the existence of the new coronavirus and urging his followers to ignore government ordered lockdowns.

Worthy Christian News