Sri Lanka: Anti-Conversion Bill Revived in Parliament
Sri Lanka’s Parliament has appointed a 19-member committee to review a bill that would outlaw “forcible” conversion, before it is presented for a final vote.
Christian Persecution
Health Jailed Cuban Christian “Significantly Worsens”
The health of a leading Christian Cuban prisoner of conscience has “significantly worsened,” amid abuse inside the detention facility where at least one person was killed in recent days, his wife said Monday, April 24.
North Korea Christian Faces Imminent Execution
Family members and human rights activists urged the international community Saturday, April 22, to pressure North Korea not to execute a Christian man who has been accused of “betrayal” and “espionage” by the Communist government.
Evangelical Missionaries Fear Bloodshed In East Timor
Evangelical missionaries in East Timor warned Monday, April 24, of new bloodshed after troops dismissed from the armed forces threatened to wage a new guerrilla war in the troubled Southeast Asian nation.
Guinea Family “Kidnaps” Wife Of Native Missionary
A native missionary in Guinea was without his wife Thursday, April 20, after she was kidnapped by her family, in a case that has come to symbolize tensions between minority Christians and members of other traditional religious groups in the West African nation.
Anti-Missionary “Witch-Hunt” Haunts City
Fanned by local media and a Muslim mufti, an anti-missionary witch-hunt targeting Christians in Turkey’s eastern city of Bingol left a Muslim woman beaten in her tailor shop last month while police allowed her attacker to walk free.
Another Christian Pastor, Scores of Muslims Jailed in Eritrea
Besides the jailing of another Protestant pastor in February, authorities have also jailed 70 Muslims over the past two years for opposing the government appointment of the chief mufti.
Pastors Arrested for ‘Fraudulent Conversion’ in India
Police backed by Hindu extremists arrested Avinash Lal, an independent Pentecostal pastor from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh state, and six other Christian leaders last night (April 18) on charges on ‘fraudulent conversion.’
China Detains Americans, Taiwanese, and House Church Leaders
Chinese security forces detained seven foreign evangelical church leaders, including five Americans and two Taiwanese pastors, as part of a government crackdown on China’s evangelical movement, friends and investigators said Wednesday, April 19.
India Court “Voids” Arrest Warrant For Bishop Thomas
India’s Supreme Court confirmed Monday, April 17, it granted the founder of a major evangelical mission organization “relief from an outstanding arrest warrant” for alleged anti-Hindu activities and ordered a hearing before a court in the tense state of Rajasthan Friday, April 21, officials said.
Egypt Orders Arrests Of Muslim Militant For Stabbing Christians
Egyptian authorities on Monday, April 17, ordered the detention of a Muslim who entered a Cairo church with a knife days after another Muslim stabbed six Christians, killing one, in Alexandria, news reports said.
Terrified Ethiopian Christian Women In Besieged Evangelical Church, Investigators Say
Four terrified Christian women, including one suffering from AIDS, remained inside a besieged evangelical church in an Ethiopian city Thursday, April 13, which has been attacked by militants fearing its growing influence in the region, investigators said.
India Court Denies Bail To Mission Leader Thomas but “Relieves” Father From Arrest
Samuel Thomas, the leader of one of India’s main evangelical mission organizations, remained jailed Thursday, April 13, on charges of anti-Hindu activities, after a court denied him bail, but his wife told BosNewsLife she is not giving up hope, yet.
Rajasthan State Anti-Conversion Bill Potentially “Explosive”
An anti-conversion bill passed by the Rajasthan state assembly last Friday (April 7) is unconstitutional and could lead to an “explosive situation” in the state, Christians say.
Laos Jails Mission Leader, Expels Christian Families, Missionaries Claim
A local Christian leader in rural Laos who refuses to abandon his faith in Christ has been detained and shackled in hand and foot stocks as part of a fresh crackdown by Communist authorities on Christian villagers, missionaries said Thursday, April 13.
Chinese Court Seeks Advice in Case Against Zhang Rongliang
The court judging house church leader Zhang Rongliang, acknowledging that “there are insufficient evidence and ambiguous facts,” this week submitted the case to the Zhengzhou City Intermediate People’s Court asking for legal advice.
Christians Attacked, Charged with Illegal Conversion
Extremists attacked two Christian schools and a private Christian gathering last week in Madhya Pradesh state and accused several Christians of carrying out “illegal conversions.”
RSS ‘Reconverts’ Over 300 Christians in Orissa
Hindu leaders attending a centenary celebration of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) last weekend converted at least 344 tribal Christians to Hinduism. Although police were present, they took no action to enforce Orissa state anti-conversion laws that require official permission for such events.
Bangladesh Buddhists Burn Down Church, reports
Christian villagers in a remote area of Bangladesh tried to rebuild their lives Tuesday, April 11, after an angry mob reportedly burned down their church to protest against their decision to abandon Buddhism and convert to Christianity.
Christian Students “Disappear” in Nigeria
Two female Christian students remained missing Monday, April 10, after hard-line Muslims attacked them last month in a case that has underscored concern over violence against young Christian women in the African nation, news reports said.