Indian Hindus Build Temple on Church Property
Hindu villagers have constructed a temple on the grounds of St. John’s Church of England in Jatni in the eastern state of Orissa, India, triggering a knotty battle over the rights of minority Christians.
Christian Persecution
Indonesian Pastor Kidnapped, Still Missing
Villagers on a small Indonesian island who recently joined a search for their missing pastor found only a red T-shirt with three bullet holes in it, lying on the beach near his home.
Buddhist Monks in Sri Lanka Threaten to ‘Fast Unto Death’
Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka have declared a “fast unto death” beginning December 12 if the government does not concede to a proposed constitutional amendment and the adoption of anti-conversion laws.
Thugs Attack Christian Publisher in Ukraine
A brutal attack on a Christian book publisher in Ukraine has underscored the high stakes struggle over human rights and religious liberty in the former Soviet republic preparing for a re-run of a sharply contested presidential election.
Churches Attacked in Sri Lanka While Extremists Aim to Make Buddhism the State Religion
The ‘Believers’ Church’ in the village of Kammalawa in Kuliyapitiya came under attack on December 2. At about 5pm more than 100 people arrived at the church in western Sri Lanka and told the pastor to stop holding worship services.
Two Killed in Nigeria as Muslim Militants Attack Evangelists
Police authorities have arrested 10 Muslim militants in Dutse, the capital of the state of Jigawa in northern Nigeria, for perpetrating an attack on a team of Christian evangelists on Tuesday, November 23. The incident reportedly caused two deaths and left at least 20 people with injuries.
Colombian Pastor Dies in Bomb Explosion
Javier Segura, the 31-year-old pastor of a Mennonite church located in the La Victoria neighborhood of Bogotá, Colombia, died instantly Sunday night, November 28, when a bomb detonated outside a public building near downtown Bogotá. The minister was the only fatality in the 10 p.m. terrorist attack in which six other people suffered injuries.
Religious Minorities in Kosovo Fear Their Freedom Will Be Seriously Hindered by Draft Law
Religious minorities and the Kosovo office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) are seriously concerned by a draft religion law being discussed by Kosovo’s government.
Vietnam Pressures Pastor’s Wife for Church Activity, Secret Tape Reveals
New evidence has come to light, in secretly recorded tapes obtained by Freedom House’s Center for Religious Freedom, of oppression of native Mennonite leaders in Vietnam.
Imprisoned Vietnamese Christian Hospitalized for ‘Mental Disease’
Le Thi Hong Lien, the sole woman among six Mennonite church workers sentenced to prison in Vietnam last Friday, is hospitalized with a “mental disease,” according to prison officials.
Indonesian Church Closing Sparks Public Debate
Members of a Protestant church in Indonesia are still waiting for resolution on an incident with Muslim neighbors, who attacked the church on October 24. The church was then closed down by authorities.
Beslan Families Visit Israel
This week members of For Zion’s Sake, a ministry of Calvary Chapel Jerusalem, hoped to send another team from Jerusalem to the town of Beslan, North Ossetia, in southern Russia to comfort the survivors and families of victims of the terror attack on the school there.
China Tightens Control on Religion
Last week before his resignation as U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell said relations between China and the U.S. were at the best point they had been in more than 30 years, according to Agence France-Presse. However, that relationship may change as further evidence emerges of a widespread crackdown on the Chinese church.
Prominent Beijing House Church Leader Faces Harsh Sentence
Chinese contacts of The Voice of the Martyrs have learned that a prominent Beijing house church leader faces an extremely harsh sentence if convicted in his upcoming trial.
Iranian Pastor Moved to Military Prison
Iranian authorities moved Christian prisoner Hamid Pourmand to a military prison last week, deepening fears throughout the evangelical community for the safety of the Protestant pastor jailed nine weeks ago.
Harassment Continues in Vietnam on Eve of Mennonite Trial
Authorities in District 2 of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, came to the home of Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang and ordered his wife to appear at a neighborhood “review” meeting at 7 p.m.
Harsh Sentences for Vietnamese Mennonites
The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City handed out harsh sentences to six Vietnamese Mennonite church workers in a four-hour trial which ended at noon today.
China Announces ‘Change’ in Religious Policies
In a two-day international conference on religion and law held in Beijing on October 18 and 19, Chinese officials said they were open to changes in religious policy.
Christian Conference Hears How China’s Christians Suffer for their Faith
Speaking at the recent International Christian Human Rights Conference at Westminster Chapel in London, Chinese Christian leader Peter Xu said: “They hung me up across an iron gate, then they yanked open the gate and my whole body lifted until my chest nearly split in two. I hung like that for four hours.”
Pastor Damanik Released from Indonesian Prision
Rev. Rinaldy Damanik, imprisoned on what many believe were false charges, walked free today (Tuesday, November 9) – almost a year earlier than his original release date.