Real-time updates on incidents, legal cases, policy changes, and testimonies from the persecuted Church.
Iranian Pastor Moved to Military Prison
Posted on Monday, November 15, 2004
Iranian authorities moved Christian prisoner Hamid Pourmand to a military prison last week, deepening fears throughout the evangelical community for the safety of the Protestant pastor jailed nine weeks ago.
Harsh Sentences for Vietnamese Mennonites
Posted on Friday, November 12, 2004
The People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City handed out harsh sentences to six Vietnamese Mennonite church workers in a four-hour trial which ended at noon today.
China Announces ‘Change’ in Religious Policies
Posted on Friday, November 12, 2004
In a two-day international conference on religion and law held in Beijing on October 18 and 19, Chinese officials said they were open to changes in religious policy.
Pastor Damanik Released from Indonesian Prision
Posted on Tuesday, November 9, 2004
Rev. Rinaldy Damanik, imprisoned on what many believe were false charges, walked free today (Tuesday, November 9) - almost a year earlier than his original release date.
Saudi Court Sidesteps Religious Accusations
Posted on Friday, October 29, 2004
In an arbitrary verdict handed down last week by a Saudi Arabian court, Christian prisoner Brian O’Connor was convicted of the alleged possession and sale of alcohol in the strictly Muslim kingdom.
Indonesian Man Shot in Church
Posted on Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Around 9:30 p.m. on October 21, snipers shot and injured Hans Sanipi, 25, custodian of the Tabernakel Pentecostal Church in Poso, Central Sulawesi. Sanipi was speaking with several other people in front of the church when two men…
Uzbek Authorities Raid Baptist Church
Posted on Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Police in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent raided a Baptist church during Sunday worship on October 17, declaring the service an “illegal religious meeting” and demanding the pastor promise to stop all the church’s activities.
Muslim Militants in Nigeria Threaten to Kill Christian Nurses
Posted on Monday, October 18, 2004
Muslim militants have threatened to kill Christian nurses serving at the Federal Medical Center in the town of Keffi, in the central state of Nasarawa, Nigeria, unless they stop conducting Christian worship services.
News Sources State Christians Murdered in North Korea
Posted on Monday, October 18, 2004
A North Korean army general who become a Christian was, after he had begun to evangelize in his unit, shot dead by another senior army officer in 2003, Protestant sources have told Forum 18 News Service.
Iraq Blasts Target Five Christian Churches in Baghdad
Posted on Saturday, October 16, 2004
A series of blasts before dawn on Saturday, October 16, targeted five Christian churches across Baghdad, Iraq, over the course of an hour have shocked Iraq’s Christian minority and marred the start of the holy month of Ramadan.
Iraqi Christians Fleeing to Jordan, Syria
Posted on Wednesday, October 6, 2004
A quiet but steady hemorrhaging of Iraq’s ancient Christian presence is underway and little is being doWritten threats, kidnappings, bombings and murder by Muslim extremists are driving thousands of Iraq’s minority Christian population out of their ancestral homeland,…
Concern Mounts for Jailed Iranian Christian
Posted on Wednesday, October 6, 2004
Concern is growing among Iran’s evangelical community for the safety of a pastor arrested four weeks ago by the Iranian security police.
Comfort to Beslan from Zion
Posted on Tuesday, October 5, 2004
Pastor Bradley Antolovich, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Jerusalem and father of five, watched helplessly as the horror at Beslan School #1 unfolded on television and various internet clips. The thought that these children could be his own…
Christians in Haiti Face Increasing Risk
Posted on Monday, October 4, 2004
As Haiti suffers through a series of national disasters, spokesmen for the Christian community in the island nation say believers are facing even greater risk.
Early Release for Indonesian Pastor
Posted on Monday, October 4, 2004
On Saturday, September 25, Rev. Damanik -- an Indonesian pastor imprisoned under what many believe were false charges -- celebrated his 45th birthday.
Indonesia Closes 12 Churches in Bandung
Posted on Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Local authorities recently ordered 12 churches in the sub-district of Rancaekek, Bandung, Indonesia, to close their doors. The order came after Muslim clerics protested that the churches were meeting illegally.
Islamic Sect in Nigeria Attacks Villagers
Posted on Monday, September 27, 2004
An Islamic militant group that has been terrorizing non-Muslim communities in the northern Nigerian states of Boro, Yobe, and Kebbi since the beginning of the year struck again on September 20, burning villages, killing four policemen and kidnapping…
