Ethiopian Girls Charged With ‘Inciting Religious Violence’ Released From Prison

Ethiopian Girls Charged With ‘Inciting Religious Violence’ Released From Prison

BABILE, Ethiopia (Open Doors USA) — Four teenage believers, three of them minors, served a one-month jail sentence after being convicted on charges of distributing Christian literature and “inciting religious violence.” The girls were reported to be “in good health” following their release from prison on Dec. 22. Gifti, 14; Mihiret, 14; Eden, 15; and […]

Christians in Mexico Face Violent Persecution From Criminal Drug Cartels

Christians in Mexico Face Violent Persecution From Criminal Drug Cartels

(Open Doors USA) — In parts of Mexico, going to church is risky and dangerous. Drug cartels are treading on the heels of churches in Mexico, extending their gripping power beyond the northern states where, for many years, they have been harassing entire communities ruthlessly. A very common practice drug traffickers have implemented to control whole […]

Chinese Christians Sentenced for Buying, Selling Devotionals

Chinese Christians Sentenced for Buying, Selling Devotionals

LIAOYANG, Liaoning (ChinaAid) — A court in China’s northeastern Liaoning province sentenced five Christian leaders to three to seven years behind bars on Wednesday for purchasing and selling prohibited Christian material. On Feb. 22, the defendants, comprised of four women and one man, learned they would be imprisoned for allegedly buying and selling “officially forbidden […]

Chinese Pastor Under Extreme Surveillance, Church Building Renovated Without Permission

Chinese Pastor Under Extreme Surveillance, Church Building Renovated Without Permission

BEIJING (ChinaAid) — Fractured into small groups by persecution, a house church in Beijing recently informed China Aid that authorities were restricting their pastor. Meanwhile, their church is being refurbished without their approval. Six years after authorities banned Shouwang Church members from holding meetings outdoors, they revealed that their pastor, Jin Tianming, is still under […]

Man Charged in Turkey Nightclub Massacre Says His Intent Was to Target Christians

Man Charged in Turkey Nightclub Massacre Says His Intent Was to Target Christians

(World Watch Monitor) — The man charged with killing 39 people on New Year’s Eve at Istanbul’s exclusive Reina nightclub attack, Abdulkadir Masharipov, has testified before a Turkish court, saying, “My purpose was to kill Christians.” The Uzbek national was arraigned in court 11 Feb., nearly a month after he was captured by Istanbul police […]

Christian in India Dies After Tribal Villagers Immerse Him, Wife in Cold Pond, Son Says

Christian in India Dies After Tribal Villagers Immerse Him, Wife in Cold Pond, Son Says

NEW DELHI (Morning Star News) – A Christian in Jharkhand state, India last month succumbed to illnesses incurred when villagers immersed him and his wife in frigid water because they refused to deny Christ, relatives said. Upset that his family had left their indigenous religion, tribal residents of Kubuaa village, Palamu District immersed Bartu Urawn and […]

Christians in Nigeria’s Yobe State Face Pressure to Convert to Islam

Christians in Nigeria’s Yobe State Face Pressure to Convert to Islam

(Open Doors USA) — The long drawn-out Boko Haram insurgency in Northern Nigeria has created an ongoing humanitarian disaster. In the northern state of Yobe, one of the three worst affected states, Christians who have finally returned to their destroyed and severely damaged communities are facing added pressure for their faith. Reports reached Open Doors […]