Nepal Detains 17 U.S. Citizens on Charges of Proselytization

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Over a dozen U.S. citizens and an Indian national were detained last week in southeastern Nepal for alleged evangelistic activities, as reported by Nepalese media. Civil society sources and religious leaders said that this act by the Nepalese government was meant to intimidate the Christian community, according to International Christian Concern (ICC).

American Christians in Nepal on tourist visas were reportedly involved in constructing a building in Dharan, Nepal. Authorities have accused them of proselytizing to locals, although officials have not provided detailed reasons for their concern.

Nepal’s government has imposed stringent anti-conversion laws since 2017. The National Penal Code of 2017 states, “No person shall convert anyone from one religion to another or make attempt to or abet such conversion.”

Similarly, the Nepalese Constitution, ratified in 2015, includes a prohibition in Article 26(3) that “No person shall … convert another person from one religion to another or any act or conduct that may jeopardize other’s [sic] religion.”

These laws enable authorities to selectively target Christian practices, which often involve sharing faith—a focus less emphasized in other religions. Similarly, neighboring India, accused of promoting religious extremism in Nepal, enforces comparable laws at the state level.

Despite years of legal pressure, the Christian church in Nepal continues to grow rapidly, according to multiple accounts.

 

 

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