Convictions Overturned, Two Iranian Christians Freed
An Iranian court has overturned the six-year sentences handed down to three converts to Christ for being members of a church, according to International Christian Concern.
Christian Persecution
India: Hindus Attack Christmas Carolers
A group of Christians were brutally attacked and beaten by Hindus for singing Christmas carols in Singareny Colony, India, according to International Christian Concern.
Turkey: Arson Attack at Bible Correspondence School
An electrical fire in Istanbul’s Bible Correspondence School on Dec. 7 is thought to have been from an arson attack after security cameras caught a man leaving the building just after the fire started, according to Barnabas Aid.
Turkey: Land Grab Threatens Return of Minorities
A lawyer in Diyarbakir estimated that land grabs have targeted thousands of Christians and Yazidis in southeastern Turkey, according to Al-Monitor.
Ethiopian Officials Destroy Evangelical Church
Heaven’s Light Church in Harare, Ethiopia, was demolished Nov. 28 by order of the Shenkore administrative district that just days before had forcibly removed the church’s sign, according to International Christian Concern.
Displaced Nigerians Creates Crisis
More than 1.6 million Nigerians who were forced to abandon their homes by the belligerence of Boko Haram are creating a humanitarian crisis in Africa’s most populous nation, according to Yahoo News.
Police in Sudan Attack Congregation, Arrest 38 Christians
Sudanese Police assaulted, arrested and then fined 38 Christians at Khartoum’s Bahri Evangelical Church last week, according to Morning Star News.
‘Miracle-Faking Spree’: Kenya Bans New Churches
Frustrated by “fakirs” peddling false miracles, Kenya’s attorney general has indefinitely banned the registration of new churches, mosques and temples, according to Christianity Today.
Pakistan: Christian Mother Files Final Appeal
A Christian mother of five who was sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan has filed an appeal to the country’s top court, according to Barnabas Aid.
Pastors in Bangladesh Arrested for Evangelizing Muslims
Two pastors in northwestern Bangladesh could face up to two years in prison if convicted for “hurting religious sentiments,” according to Morning Star News.
Al Shabaab Executes 28 Non-Muslims
Muslim insurgents from Somali’s Al Shabaab terrorist group ambushed a bus in northern Kenya last week and killed 28 passengers, according to a Morning Star News source.
Church in Sudan Strives to Block Demolition
Hundreds of Christians in North Khartoum blocked repeated attempts by government authorities to destroy all the buildings inside their church compound last week, according to Morning Star News.
Christian families are stranded in ISIS-controlled Raqqa
The Islamic State is forcing the remaining Christian families in Raqqa to pay the jizya or protection tax, according to Christian Today.
Lao Hmong Evicted after Converting to Christianity
Six Hmong families who converted to Christianity were forced to leave their village after local authorities ordered them to renounce their faith, according to Barnabas Aid.
Police: Woman Slain in Pakistan Innocent of Blasphemy
Police in Pakistan said that the Christian couple tortured and murdered this month over accusations that the wife desecrated the Koran were false, according to Morning Star News.
Bakers Who Won’t make “Gay” Cake May Face Legal Action
A Christian bakery in Northern Ireland must pay compensation or face legal action after an equality commission declared that it was guilty of committing “unlawful religious, political and sexual orientation discrimination” for declining to bake a “gay” cake, according to Christian News.
Attacks on Jerusalem Church Met with Official Indifference
Police have refused to respond to a series of crimes ranging from theft to an assault in October that bloodied three Christians, according to Morning Star News.
ISIS Militants Booby-trap Christian Homes
A Christian who fled his village in northern Iraq claimed that ISIS jihadists are placing explosives in Christian homes just in case they decide to return, according to the Christian Post.
Mexico: Upcoming Conference on Religious Freedom Violations
Victims of religious freedom violations are expected to testify at an upcoming national conference in Mexico.
Schoolgirls Abducted by Boko Haram won’t be Freed
On All Hallows Eve, the leader of Boko Haram announced that the 200 or more schoolgirls his Islamists had abducted in April from Chibok in Borno state, Nigeria, will not be freed as they have already converted to Islam and married off to Muslims, according to Barnabas Aid.