Ethiopia: Court Imprisons more than 500 Muslims for Mass Church Burnings
An Ethiopian court sentenced 579 Muslims from three to 18 months in prison for a week of violence against Christians that left one dead and 69 churches destroyed by fire.
Christian Persecution
High Price To Pay For Being A Christian in Uzbekistan
Being a Christian in Uzbekistan can be costly. Just ask Galina Shemetova who was ordered to pay a fine of 2,486,750 som, 50 times the minimum monthly pay for giving a colleague a children’s Bible. This amounts to $60,320US, four times the yearly pre-tax salary of a 40 hour-a-week minimum wage earner. Miss Shemetova not only had to pay the fine, but she was also beaten physically by police, a fact known by the Tashkent Court of Appeals.
China Detains House Church Members in Beijing
Police detained 16 more members of Beijing’s Shouwang House Church and placed others under house arrest: two were held in protective custody while the rest were sent to 10 different police stations; most were released by Sunday morning.
Sudanese Military, Militants Kill Christians and Attack Churches
Sudanese Military agents killed one Christian and Islamic militants another last week after attacking churches in Sudan’s embattled South Kordofan state.
Uzbekistan: Police beatings, axe death threat, and more
Uzbekistan continues to persecute Christians exercising their religious rights. Recently a Christian in eastern Uzbekistan was beaten by police, another was threatened with death by an axe while a Baptist congregation was promised prison for failure to co-operate in a pre-trial investigation of their pastor.
Middle East Christians facing ‘extremist atrocities’
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, warned that the vacuum left by failed autocratic regimes was being filled by extremists who have turned the Arab Spring into a “very anxious time” for Christians.
Poland Rescues Christian Refugees
Poland has granted asylum to 16 Christian refugees who accompanied Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski on a flight back from Tunisia.The Foreign Ministry said Friday, June 17, that the six adults and 10 children were “political refugees” from Eritrea and Nigeria, whose lives have been upturned by recent turmoil in North Africa.
India Asks U.S. “Evangelists” To Leave
An international advocacy group urged the U.S. government Friday, June 17, to condemn Indian authorities for reportedly asking three American Christians to leave India because they allegedly participated in evangelism.
Pakistan Court Acquits Suspects Of Christian Massacre
Christians in Pakistan remained fearful Thursday, June 16, after a court in Pakistan acquitted 70 Muslims who were suspected of killing Christians in one of the country’s worst sectarian clashes in recent memory.
Rights Campaigners Demand Release Of Vietnamese Activists
Christian rights campaigners on Wednesday, June 15, demanded the immediate release of seven Vietnamese activists, including three Christians, who were convicted of “attempting to overthrow the government” and jailed to between two and eight years.
Indonesian Cleric Gets One-Year Sentence for Provoking Church Attacks
An Indonesian court sentenced an Islamic cleric to one year in jail for provoking hundreds of people to riot, attacking police and burning churches.
Christian Communities Disappearing in Northern Nigeria
The Christian farmers of Mdandi village in northern Nigeria were preparing for a new harvest when armed Islamists attacked their homes and drove them out.
Prisoner for Christ; An Iranian Christian Rejoices in Suffering
No country in the Middle East has seen more Christians imprisoned in 2011 than in Iran. A recent report by Christian Solidarity Worldwide revealed that 254 Christians were arrested in more than thirty cities across the country since June 2010.
Nepal Defends Law Against Evangelism
Nepal’s government has defended a proposed law that Christians say effectively bans evangelism and could lead to a crackdown on devoted believers.
Sudan Christians Concerned As Violence Spreads
Christians in Sudan expressed concern about their future as South Sudan’s army said northern warplanes bombed its territory on Monday, June 13, following fighting in a tense border area.
Yemen Sees Second Anniversary Of Kidnapping Christians
Sunday, June 12, marked the second anniversary of the kidnappings of nine Christian foreigners in Yemen by suspected Muslim militants, but German and British investigators “were understood” to have ended “their active search” for those still missing, advocacy group Middle East Concern (MEC) said.
Nigeria Detains Alleged Militants Who Killed Pastor
Police in northern Nigeria have detained suspected Islamic militants who allegedly killed a pentecostal pastor, his assistant, and at least 10 other people, Worthy News monitored Saturday, June 11.
Zimbabwe Anglicans Evicted From Churches and Homes
Anglicans in Zimbabwe are facing increasing levels of political violence in order to silence them ahead of local elections as the current regime forces their churches into a position of political compliance in order to continue to worship there.
Algerian Christians Continue to Worship Despite Government Order
The High Commissioner of police in Bejaia ordered all Christian churches closed, including places of worship still under construction; if not, the commissioner threatened “severe consequences and punishments” would result.
Egypt Detains Hundreds Of Eritrean Christians, Others Kidnapped
Hundreds of mainly Christian refugees from Eritrea are jailed or or held by kidnappers in Egypt, where they face torture, beatings and sexual assault, according to Christian aid workers who contacted Worthy News.