(World Watch Monitor) — The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has asked for clarification over how Russia applies its religion law to foreign citizens, reports news agency Interfax. The case that triggered their interest was that of an Evangelical Christian of Indian descent, who was one of the first people to be deported under […]
(World Watch Monitor) — The body of Gideon Periyaswamy, 43-year-old pastor of the church of Maknayeem in Adayachery village, in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state, was found hanging from the roof of his house on Jan. 20. Church congregation members who discovered his body described his knees bent to the floor and his body hanging […]
(World Watch Monitor) — A Pakistani Christian, who fell ill after inhaling poisonous gases at work, died on Saturday (Jan. 20) after three days on a life-support machine. Shahzad Masih, 24, who leaves a wife and two young children, worked as a sewer cleaner in the Korangi area of the southern city of Karachi, as […]
Nepal (Mission Network News) – In 2015, Nepal changed its constitution to become a secular nation with the freedom of religion. However, in October, Nepal’s President Bidhya Dev Bhandari signed a Criminal Code Bill into law. This law, known as the anti-conversion law, makes religious conversion illegal and punishable by five years in prison and […]
(World Watch Monitor) — A Nigerian university student who converted from Islam to Christianity has been arrested by state security forces, as has the man who introduced her to Christianity. Nabila Umar Sanda, 19, is a student at Bingham University in Karu, in the central state of Nasarawa, which is owned by one of Nigeria’s […]
(World Watch Monitor) — Happy Saturday, a children’s worship service in Pulo Gebang flats, East Jakarta, turned frightening when it was interrupted by a man wielding an axe. The police investigation revealed that the culprit, Nasoem Sulaiman, commonly called Joker, said he had been irritated by the noise from the worship service and wanted to […]
SANTA ANA, Calif. — A watchdog organization that releases a report each year on the global persecution of Christians has again named North Korea as the most dangerous place to live as a Christian—for the 16th year in a row. Open Doors USA released its “World Watch List” on Wednesday, which lists and ranks the 50 […]
(The Guardian) — A church in northern China was demolished this week, the second in less than a month, sparking fears of a wider campaign against Christians as authorities prepare to enforce new laws on religion. Police cordoned off the area around the Golden Lampstand Church church in Linfen, Shanxi province, on Sunday before construction […]
(World Watch Monitor) — The European Court of Human Rights ruled last month that an Iranian who sought asylum in Switzerland based on religious grounds could be deported to his home country because his life was not in danger, despite various reports detailing how Iran persecutes religious minorities and converts to Christianity. Human Rights advocate […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of State has announced its annual designation of “Countries of Particular Concern” (CPC) based on observance of ongoing violations of religious freedom. “In far too many places around the globe, people continue to be persecuted, unjustly prosecuted or imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief,” spokesperson Heather […]