Turkey: Church Vandalized, Pastor Threatened
Assailants on Turkey’s Black Sea coast vandalized a Protestant church this weekend, days after nationalists from the region murdered a well-known Armenian journalist.
Month: January 2007
China Detains 600 Christians, Demolishes Churches, Report Shows
China detained at least over 600 Christians last year amid an ongoing crackdown on unregistered ‘house churches’, a report released Tuesday, January 30, showed.
Vietnam Security Forces Detain Two Prominent Dissidents
Two prominent human rights activist remained in custody Tuesday, January 30, a day after Vietnamese security forces arrested them in Ho Chi Minh City formerly known as Saigon, fellow dissidents said.
Zimbabwe Security Forces Detain Christian Leaders During Church Meeting
Zimbabweans planned to hold a prayer vigil Monday, January 29, outside a court-room where eight detained Christian officials were due to appear after Zimbabwe’s largest crackdown on Christian leaders in six years.
China Security Forces Raid Church, Release Christian Leaders
Chinese security forces arrested church leaders while raiding a house church in Anhui Province during a worship service, and confiscated Christian literature and equipment, a Christian rights group said Saturday, January 27.
Vietnam “Severely Tortures” Christian Degar Montagnard Prisoners, Families Say
Family members and friends expressed concerns Saturday, January 27, about the treatment of predominantly Christian Degar Montagnard prisoners in Vietnam some of whom have allegedly been severely tortured and forced to eat rice mixed with broken glass.
Uzbekistan: Secret Police Arrest Andijan Pastor
Uzbek secret police arrested a Protestant pastor from his church in Andijan last weekend, seven months after a regional prosecutor had accused him of committing high treason.
11 Tribal Girls Killed In India As Hostel Collapses
Christian officials on Saturday, January 27, urged the Hindu-led government of India’s Gujarat state to end what they regard as the persecution of Christian aid workers after at least 11 impoverished Tribal girls died when the their residential school collapsed.
Somalia Capital Rocked By Violence After Church Attack
Christians in Somalia remained on edge Friday, January 26, after a church attack and fresh reports that five people were killed in clashes in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
Muslim Gunman Attacks Somali House Church, Injuring Leader
A Muslim gunman opened fire on a Somali house church where Christians were worshipping on January 2, seriously injuring the church leader.
India State Militants Threaten Christian Orphanage; Counsellors Arrested
A Christian orphanage and a Christian drug rehabilitation center in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh have come under pressure to close down, shortly after a controversial anti-conversion law came into force, human rights investigators said Thursday, January 25.
Pakistan Detains Christian Woman For “Insulting” Islam
A Christian married mother with six children remained detained in a Pakistani jail Thursday, January 25, and could face the death penalty for allegedly insulting Islam, her supporters told BosNewsLife.
Uzbekistan Secret Police Detains Protestant Pastor
Uzbekistan’s secret police detained Protestant Pastor Dmitry Shestakov at his church in the city of Andijan last weekend, after a regional prosecutor had accused him of “committing high treason,” a Christian news agency reported Thursday, January 25.
Gospel For Asia Missionaries Beaten, Arrested at Indian Festival
Gospel for Asia (GFA) native missionaries–including a state leader–have been driven away, beaten and even arrested by police at the site of the Ardh Kumbh, a massive festival during which millions of Hindu pilgrims bathe in the confluence of two sacred rivers at the north Indian town of Allahabad.
Eritrea Security Forces Detain Dozens of Christians, “Burn” Bibles
Security forces have detained dozens of devoted Christians, including government workers, in the East African nation of Eritrea, a Christian news agency reported Tuesday, January 23.
Pakistan: Court Overturns Life Sentence for Christian
A Pakistani court last week acquitted a Christian “blasphemy†prisoner on grounds that the convict was mentally unstable, while another Christian facing the same accusation was released on bail.
India Militants Attack Missionaries, Throw Teenager From Train
Less than two weeks after their activists reportedly threw a Hindu convert to Christianity from a train, Hindu groups attacked Christian missionaries in India accusing them of “religious conversion,” BosNewsLife monitored Monday, January 22.
Sudan Christians Fear New Attacks As Bombings Continue
Sudan’s embattled Christian minority attended church services Sunday, January, 21, as the predominantly Muslim nation plunged further into renewed civil war, despite a peace agreement brokered by US Governor Bill Richardson and others this month.
Indonesia Militant Admits To Beheading Christian Girls
Tensions remained high in Indonesia’s volatile region of Poso Saturday, January 20, after a key Islamic militant admitted to taking part in the killing of three Christian high school girls there in 2005.
Ethiopia Christian Killed, Houses Burned, Investigators Say
Groups of Ethiopian Christians were reportedly still hiding in churches Thursday, January 18, after one believer was killed, Christian homes burned and several believers were threatened with execution for converting from Islam.