City Officials in Vietnam Shut Down International Church
Local authorities shut down a 500-member, international church here on Saturday, August 27. The church had sought a permit to meet since its inception eight years ago.
Christian Persecution
Turkey’s Mistreatment of Christians Becoming More Brazen
Bektas Erdogan never expected his Christian faith of 11 years to jeopardize his career as a fashion designer in Turkey.
Prisoners from Eritrean Wedding Roundup Mocked, Beaten
Three months after 250 wedding guests were arrested in the Eritrean capital for attending a Protestant Christian wedding, 129 of them remain jailed under severe conditions.
Vietnamese Authorities Offer Pastor Freedom for Confession
The Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang was working at a labor camp machine used to extract cashew nuts on August 9 when he was approached by high prison officials. They told him he would be moved immediately to another prison.
Second Indian State to Strengthen Anti-Conversion Law
Attempts to strengthen the state anti-conversion law in Chattisgarh state, India, have been held up due to “technical problems,” according to a government official.
Hindu Extremists Attack Prayer Meeting in Rajasthan, India
Hindu extremists violently attacked a prayer meeting in Rajasthan state last night, seriously injuring nine Christians, including one woman.
Laos Government Forces Detain And Torture Christian Villagers
He quietly says he still believes in Jesus Christ. But he can no longer admit it publicly. Since 42-year old Phouthone Chansombat became the chief of Tao Tan, a village 135 kilometers (about 85 miles) from Laos’ capital Vientiane, he had to renounce his faith in Christ. “I can no longer be a Christian,” Chansombat says, fighting back tears.
Laos Christians Face Crisis As Government Bans Bibles
A lack of Bibles and Christian literature in Laos is now becoming “the biggest threat” to rapidly growing Christian communities in rural areas of the Communist Asian nation, evangelical leaders said Wednesday, August 10.
Jailed Iranian Christian Pressured to Return to Islam
Eleven months after Iranian police arrested Hamid Pourmand for converting to Christianity, authorities at Tehran’s Evin Prison continue to pressure the former Muslim to return to Islam.
Couple Arrested for Attempted Forced Conversion in India
Two Christians in Madhya Pradesh, India, await their first appearance in court after Hindu villagers accused them of attempted forced conversion.
Major Crackdown on Christians in China Reported
Christian Freedom International (CFI), a leading human rights organization, expressed concern Monday, August 8, about “a major crackdown” on Christians in China.
Bangladesh Christian Aid Workers Murdered By “Islamic Extremists”
Two Christian men of a non-governmental organization in Bangladesh have been “hacked to death” and officials believe Islamic extremists were “likely” responsible for the murders, news reports said Thursday, August 4.
India Proposes Stiffer Law to Regulate Foreign Donations
The Indian government has proposed a law to more closely regulate foreign donations for “anti-national activities.” Christian leaders in India fear the new law would be misused to reduce foreign donations to churches in India.
Indonesian Sunday School Teachers Case Goes to High Court
Hostile spectators filled a courtroom in West Java, Indonesia on July 28 as the fifth hearing in a controversial trial against three Christian women began. The women were accused of attempting to convert Muslim children through a Christian education program.
Turkmenistan Authorities Threaten To Hang Handicapped Baptist
Baptists in Turkmenistan faced another difficult Sunday, July 31, after a private home where they gathered regularly was stormed by police who beat the handicapped host with her own Bible and threatened to hang her, human rights activists reported.
Ethiopia Missionaries In Life Danger Amid Violence and Famine, reports
A human rights group has expressed concern about the plight of native and other missionaries in Ethiopia amid reported anti-Christian violence and warnings Thursday, July 28, of famine in several areas.
Hindu Fundamentalists Allege “Forced Conversion” in India
The High Court of Orissa state has asked local officials to examine complaints of “forced conversions” and ordered strict enforcement of the state anti-conversion law.
India Floods Destroy Churches, Killing Hundreds
Flooding caused by India’s heaviest rain ever recorded has killed hundreds of people in the slums of the country’s commercial capital Mumbai and also destroyed a dozen churches and a bible college there, missionaries said Friday, July 29.
Muslim Extremists Threaten to Kill Christian Family in Nigeria
A band of Muslim militants, which had pronounced a death sentence on a Christian family because one of its young members allegedly sold pork, has assaulted her 57-year-old father, Emma Osagie.
Authorities Twice Raid Mennonite Center in Vietnam
While believers met for prayer in the District 2 Mennonite center Sunday evening — just five days after authorities demolished half of the building — officials forced their way in to disband the meeting.