Christians Can’t Bury Dead in Uzbek State Cemeteries
Christians in Uzbekistan are being blocked from burying their dead in state-owned cemeteries as secular officials bend to pressures from Islamic religious leaders, according to Barnabas Aid.
Russia
Russian Authorities Target Christian-Run Projects
Christian organizations in Russia that teach secular education may face harassment from government officials, according to Barnabas Aid.
Kazakhstan: Tea and Prayers lead to Pastor’s arrest
A pastor in Kazakhstan was arrested last month for allegedly serving hallucinogens to his congregation while wielding a powerful psychological influence over them.
Islamic nations among world’s worst violators of religious freedoms
Of the 15 worst violators of religious freedom in the world, 10 are Islamic states.
Belarus: Religious kept within an invisible ghetto of state regs
Belarus continues to keep its religious communities confined within an invisible ghetto of regulations, according to Forum 18.
Syrian Christians Face Starvation, Deadly Attacks
Minority Christians in Syria’s largest city Aleppo said they face starvation after dozens of believers already died in targeted attacks rocking Christian areas of the war-torn country.
Kazakhstan Adopts Oppressive Religious Law
An oppressive religious law adopted by Kazakhstan last year has reduced the number of officially recognized religions from 46 to 17, according to Eurasianet.
Crackdown On Evangelicals In Central Asian States
Authorities in three Central Asian nations have launched a crackdown on evangelical Protestant churches and several believers are reportedly mistreated, fined and detained.
Uzbek Math: 2 Bibles = 5 years
In Uzbekistan, having more than one Bible can make you a missionary, and being a missionary in Uzbekistan can get you five years in jail.
Moscow Destroys Russian Pentecostal Church
A congregation of evangelical Christians in Russia’s capital Moscow were without a church building Tuesday, September 11, after workers with bulldozers and other equipment destroyed their Holy Trinity Pentecostal Church complex, protected by local police, witnesses said.
Pakistan Among World’s Worst Violators of Religious Freedoms
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended that the Secretary of State name Pakistan as a Country of Particular Concern in its 2012 Annual Report.
Russian Mission Group Warns Of Crackdown On Evangelicals; Anti-Putin Protesters Gather
As protesters demanding more freedom and fair elections prepared to demonstrate in freezing temperatures in Moscow Saturday, February 4, a major Russian mission group warned of more difficulties for evangelical Christians and other, religious, minorities in Russia and other former Soviet Union nations.
Uzbekistan Churches Banned from Evangelism, Youth Worship
Authorities in eastern Uzbekistan have warned local churches not to allow youngsters and children to attend their worship services and not to carry out missionary activities or “proselytism”, the word for evangelism, local Christians and activists said.
Israel Group Campaigns Against Messianic Jews, Missionaries
A hard-line Jewish ultra-Orthodox group in Israel has launched a campaign against Christian missionaries and Jewish Christians, known as Messianic Jews, who they view as a security threat.
Uzbek Christians Suffer as Regime Tightens Noose
At least four incidents of Christian persecution were reported from the former Soviet country of Uzbekistan this week. According to an analysis and report researched and written by Fernando Perez for the World Evangelical Alliance – Religious Liberty Commission, a Christian woman was beaten into concussion, another woman was fined $1,465 by a court for giving the New Testament to a child, a Christian man was threatened with axe attack by a police official and another man was assaulted by police.
Russia’s Missionaries Worried As Suicide Blast Rocks Moscow Airport
Christian missionaries in Russia expressed concerns Monday, January 24, about the future of the country after an explosion ripped through the international section of Moscow’s busiest airport, killing at least 31 people and wounding about 130 others.
Russia Sits Under Potential Radiation Cloud
Fires in Russia have scorched forests contaminated with radiation from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine, but it was unclear how dangerous the toxic smog might be according to Russian officials, Worthy News monitored on August 12.
BREAKING NEWS: Pentecostal Pastor Shot Dead In Dagestan
The pastor of the largest Pentecostal church in Russia’s violent, mainly Muslim republic of Dagestan, has died after being shot in the head, in an apparent bid to intimidate converts from Islam, Christian rights activists and police said Friday, July 16.
BREAKING NEWS: Kyrgyzstan Christians Receiving Death Threats As Ethnic Violence Kills 190
Kyrgyz Christians were risking their lives Thursday, June 17, to help and shelter Uzbek believers in southern Kyrgystan, where ethnic clashes killed at least 190 people, injured 1,800 others and uprooted some 400,000 residents, Christian aid workers said.
BREAKING NEWS: Poland Mourns President Killed In Plane Crash (Update)
Poles have begun mourning their president Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria who were among those killed in a plane crash in Western Russia.