Jordan: Authorities Expel Foreign Christians
Jordan has increased pressure on foreign Christians living in the kingdom, expelling many long-time residents over the past 13 months in what local churches see as an attack on their legitimacy.
Europe
Turkey Releases Teenager Planning “Massacre” In Church
A Turkish teenager who vowed to kill the pastor of a Protestant church and "massacre" Christians in the Black Sea coastal city of Samsun has been released by a local court because he is "to young" Turkish media reported Tuesday, January 8.
Azerbaijan Prison Forces Pastor To Pay For Food
A Baptist pastor serving two years imprisonment in Azerbaijan for “illegal religious services” is forced by officials to provide “high payments” for food, other basic needs and to meet relatives, BosNewsLife learned from investigators and family Thursday, November 22.
Belarus Increasing Persecution Of Evangelicals, Missionaries Say
Supporters of the opposition in Belarus held a rally Sunday, October 28, to commemorate the victims of Stalin-era repressions, shortly after Christian missionaries said Belarusian authorities “continue the relentless pressure and persecution of the evangelical church” here.
Azerbaijan Baptist Pastor Facing Two Years Labor Camp
A Baptist pastor in Azerbaijan is facing a two-year prison sentence in a forced labor camp, after an appeals court refused to overturn the conviction, a rights group monitoring the case confirmed to BosNewsLife Tuesday, October 23.
Persecution of Degar Montagnards Continues
A major advocacy group says that hundreds of Degar prisoners remain in prison for standing up for human rights, for spreading Christianity or for fleeing to Cambodia. Many have died from internal injuries caused by beatings. Indigenous rights are routinely violated, and racism and discrimination are serious problems in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
Uzbekistan Pastor Appeals Against Labor Camp Sentence; Journalist Jailed
A court in Uzbekistan on Tuesday, May 1, began hearing evangelical Pastor Dmitri (David) Shestakov’s appeal against his sentence to four-years in one of Uzbekistan’s open labor camps on controversial “religious extremism charges,” Christians close to the case said.
India Hindu Militants Storm Christian School
Dozens of Hindu militants stormed a Christian school in Lucknow, the capital of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh late Sunday, September 10, threatening nuns and vandalizing the complex, Indian Christians told BosNewsLife.
German Evangelicals Protest Planned Deportation of Vietnamese Christian
For over 200 days an evangelical congregation in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia has been providing “church asylum” to a Vietnamese Christian amid fears he may be deported by local German authorities, news reports said Sunday, September 3.
Hungary Christians Host Israeli Teenagers Fleeing Rocket Attacks
A group of 18 teenagers from Israel’s war-torn northern area and two adult companions arrived in the Hungarian capital Budapest Wednesday, August 16, for a nine-day holiday organized by the Hungarian Baptist Charity and Malev Hungarian Airlines.
Indonesia Postpones Execution Christians
Amid international pressure, Indonesia postponed on Saturday, August 12, the execution of three Christians found guilty in 2001 of violence against Muslims in the province of Central Sulawesi, apparently minutes before they were to be shot by a firing squad.
Nearly 100 Christian Radio Outlets in Russia Forced Off the Air Temporarily
All but two of the nearly 100 outlets affiliated with New Life Radio (NLR), a Russian satellite network operated by Christian Radio for Russia with HCJB World Radio as the principal partner, have been forced to go off the air temporarily.
India Evangelicals Resume Mission Operations Amid Terrorist Threats
One of India’s largest evangelical mission groups continued operations Friday, July 11, after legal victories, but there were fresh terrorist threats by Muslim militants against areas where it has been active, including Mumbai.
Iran ‘Officially’ Charges Ex-Muslim with Drug Trafficking
Seven years after Issa Motamedi Mojdehi converted from Islam to Christianity, Iranian secret police have jailed him for abandoning Islam but officially charged him with illegal drug trafficking.
Secret Documents Reveal Ethnic Cleansing of Christians in Iraq, Leader says
Secret documents show Saddam Hussein’s regime and local Kurdish leaders were involved in the “ethnic cleansing”, “gassing” and “Islamization” of Assyrian Christians in Northern Iraq, with international religious aid organizations refusing to intervene, an Assyrian official claimed Wednesday, August 4.
Uzbekistan Crackdown on Christians and NGO’s, Sources Say
There was mounting concern Wednesday, July 26, over a new crackdown on Christians in Uzbekistan after authorities closed down US-based aid group Central Asia Free Exchange (CAFE) on charges of “illegal religious activities,” including preaching the Gospel.
‘Blasphemy’ Suspect Flees Pakistan
A Pakistani “blasphemy” suspect has appealed for asylum in Holland after facing police torture and attacks by Muslim extremists for his controversial religious views.
US and Rights Group Condemn Uzbekistan’s Crackdown on Christians
Human rights officials in Europe and the United States expressed concern Wednesday, May 3, over the persecution of Christians in the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, nearly a year after hundreds of people died when security forces opened fire on pro-democracy demonstrators.
More Christians Arrested in Wake of ‘Apostasy’
An avalanche of media coverage of an Afghan man facing the death penalty for converting to Christianity has apparently sparked the arrest and deepening harassment of other Afghan Christians in the ultra-conservative Muslim country.
European Evanglistic Outreach Kicks Off from Munich
One of the biggest evangelistic outreach programs on the European continent has kicked off from Munich, Germany. ProChrist meetings are aired daily via satellite to 1,250 venues in 21 European countries, March 19 through 26.