Russian Pastor Sentenced Over Anti-War Sermon
Concerns grew Sunday about a frail elderly Russian pastor after he was sentenced to a prison camp for publicly criticizing Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Christian Persecution – Russia & Former USSR
Russian Pastor Arrested/Detained For Sermon Against Ukraine War
A Pentecostal pastor in Russia is in prison charged with undermining national security after he preached a sermon in which he criticized the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine from a Biblical perspective, the Norway-based Forum 18 rights group reports.
Azerbaijan Systematically, “Maliciously” Destroying Armenian Christian Heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh, Report
A new report by the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) calls on the international community to hold Azerbaijan accountable for what it describes as the systematic “malicious destruction” of Armenia’s Christian heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Uzbekistan Threatens Church Demolition In Crackdown
Members of a thriving Baptist church in western Uzbekistan say local authorities have begun demolishing their worship facility as part of a broader crackdown on devoted Christians.
Turkmenistan Pastor Facing Threats, Arrest
Pressure is mounting on Rahymjan Borjakov, a 44-year-old pastor who faces imminent arrest for leading an unregistered church in Turkmenistan, Christians tell Worthy News.
Uzbekistan’s Christian Parents Facing Jail, Fines Over Teaching Children
Uzbekistan’s draft legislation to “further strengthen the rights of children” will lead to government persecution of Christian parents in the former Soviet nation, well-informed sources told Worthy News.
Christians In Kyrgyzstan Fear More Hostilities Despite Law Rejection (Worthy News Focus)
Minority Christians in Kyrgyzstan fear measures limiting their worship possibilities may be forthcoming despite legislators opposing more restrictive religious legislation.
Kazakhstan: Christians Face Surge in Harassment From Authorities
Baptist Christians in southern Kazakhstan have suffered a surge in police raids upon their churches, as well as arrests and fines for expressing their faith, Christian Daily (CD) reports.
Azerbaijan is Country of Particular Concern, USCIRF says
The United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended that the transcontinental country of Azerbaijan now be placed on the US State Department’s list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) because of intensifying violations of religious freedom, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. The USCIRF made its recommendation in its new annual report on the status of religious freedom around the world.
Belarus: Imprisoned Preacher Remains In Jail
A Belarusian preacher, Syarhey Melyanets, has still not been released from jail in Belarus after being sentenced to 13 days’ imprisonment on unspecified charges, Radio Free Europe (RFE) reports.
Belarus: Evangelical Pastor Imprisoned After Praying For Ukraine
A pastor in Belarus was sentenced to 15 days in prison earlier this month after praying that the Russian invasion of Ukraine would end, Christian Daily (CD) reports.
Belarus Monitors Priests, Religious Groups
Hundreds of priests in autocratically-ruled Belarus have been warned that state agencies are monitoring them and hundreds of religious communities.
US Officially Lists Azerbaijan as a Violator of Religious Freedoms
In a move welcomed by religious rights advocates, the United States has for the first time officially listed the Republic of Azerbaijan as a country which violates religious freedom, Christianity Today (CT) reports. A part of the former Soviet Union until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, Azerbaijan is a Muslim-majority transcontinental state which lies at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia.
Cash-Strapped Russia Fines Evangelical Christians
Evangelical Christians in Russia were forced to pay a “tax on faithfulness” in 2022, which will likely increase this year as part of a government crackdown on non-Orthodox faiths, rights investigators tell Worthy News.
120,000 Armenian Christians Trapped In Nagorno-Karabakh
About 120,000 Armenian Christians are trapped inside the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, including women, children, and the disabled, Christian aid workers told Worthy News Friday.
Belarus: Authorities ban Christian church congregation from holding worship services
Authorities have now ordered the congregation at the New Life Church in Minsk, Belarus, to stop even the outdoor parking lot meetings they were reduced to after city officials sealed their church building last year, Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) reports. Ideologically close and loyal to Russia’s President Putin, Belarus’ authoritarian regime has criminalized unregistered Christian activity.
Tajikistan Bans New Churches
Tajikistan’s autocratic Islamic government has told Protestant church leaders that it will not register new churches, effectively banning congregations, Christians familiar with the talks said Thursday.
Hundreds of Russian evangelicals call for end to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, “God can stop war”
In what has been described as an extraordinarily courageous step, hundreds of evangelical Christians in Russia have signed an open petition calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop his invasion of Ukraine, Christianity Today (CT) reports.
Russia Keeps Punishing Evangelicals in Crimea
Since Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014—one of the central points of conflict in the current clash between the two countries—Protestant Christians in the territory have faced greater government penalties for practicing their faith.
Russian Christian School Attack Injures Eight
As many as eight people were injured after a Russian teenager tried to blow himself up in an apparent suicide attack outside a Christian school and a monastery, officials said Monday.