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Landlord of ERCC members Fined for Renting to Them
A landlord was fined for renting to a Christian couple who attend the heavily persecuted Early Rain Covenant Church (ERCC) in Chengdu.
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Faith: the secret of positive, enduring, hope-fuelled prayer.
This is the final RLPB for 2021. It includes (1) a reflection on the relationship between faith and hope; (2) a 130-word item for use in bulletins or prayers; (3) updates on Ethiopia (the TPLF retreats to Tigray), Haiti (all hostages safe and free) and Indonesia (a new blasphemy case).
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| USCIRF News Digest - December 21, 2021 |
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USCIRF Condemns the Chinese Government’s Additional Sanctions on USCIRF Commissioners
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemns the Chinese government’s additional sanctions against USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza, Vice Chair Nury Turkel, and Commissioners Anurima Bhargava and James W. Carr.
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Asian Access helps Filipino believers in Rai aftermath
Super Typhoon Rai, known locally as Odette, claimed over 375 lives in the Philippines this weekend, and the death toll keeps rising. More details emerge as parts of the archipelago restore communication.
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China: Follow-up report: CCP apprehend members of Jehovah's Witnesses in large-scale arrest
The Chinese regime suppresses the religious group Jehovah’s Witnesses and views them as a “cult.”
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ISWAP Terrorists Kill 12 Christians in Borno State, Northeastern Nigeria
Nine houses burned, stories looted.
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Pastor Decapitated by Islamist Extremists in Mozambique
A pastor in the Macomia district of Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, was abducted and decapitated by Islamist extremists on 15 December.
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House Set on Fire, Women Abused as Muslims Gatecrash Wedding Celebration in Farooqabad, Pakistan
A Christian pre-wedding celebration on December 10 was gatecrashed by a group of Muslims in Farooqabad, near Faisalabad in Punjab, Pakistan.
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District Authority in Pakistan Bans Use of Slur Against Sanitation Workers
A district authority in Punjab, Pakistan has banned the use of a derogatory word for sanitation workers, the majority of whom are Christian.
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More Than Two Billion May Lack Access to Sufficient Food in 2022
An estimated 2.38 billion people are facing food insecurity as we approach the beginning of 2022, owing to a lack of reliable access to food in many parts of the world.
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Abducted Christian Missionaries Escape From Haiti Kidnappers
The remaining twelve members of a group of 17 Christian missionaries and children abducted by an armed gang in Haiti have escaped from their captors.
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Christian Aid Ministries gives update about Haiti hostages ... ESCAPE!
Christian Aid Ministries is giving an update at its headquarters in Ohio “to share more information” regarding the return of 17 hostages who were held in Haiti for weeks.
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Chinese human rights activist shaves hair in protest
Zhao Chunhong, a Hebei human rights activist, shaved her hair in an act of performance art to protest the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
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Crucial Updates on Prisoners of Conscience in Pakistan and Algeria
As we have already announced in previous email newsletters, Pakistani Christian prisoners of conscience Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Emmanuel were finally acquitted of their blasphemy charges and released from prison after seven grueling years on death row on a single false accusation.
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| USCIRF News Digest - December 7, 2021 |
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BURMA | Ousted Leader Sentenced to Prison
Myanmar/Burma’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, was sentenced to two years in prison on Dec. 6 in the first of a series of verdicts on a total of 11 charges which could result in her being imprisoned for life.
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Extremists pursue Afghan activists
In Afghanistan, activists live in constant danger, especially women. Some have been killed after being lured by messages on social media promising to help them escape the country.
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USCIRF Welcomes Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today applauded President Joseph R. Biden for implementing a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics given the Chinese government’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses.
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Afghans turn to Heart4Iran for help, hope
A new report from Human Rights Watch reveals a campaign of targeted executions in Afghanistan.
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China: Minister An Yankui denied visitors
Yesterday morning, Yao Congya, the wife of Zion Reformed Church minister An Yankui, went to Fenyang Public Security Bureau, requesting to visit her husband with his lawyer.
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Heavy Fine Upheld on Appeal by Christian in Algeria
Six-month prison sentence for 'unauthorized donations' suspended.
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Another Qingcaodi member criminally detained
Yesterday, Deyang authorities criminally detained Early Rain Qingcaodi Church’s co-worker Liu Wuyi.
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Christian pastor suffers two years in prison without trial
Pastor Hao Zhiwei of Egangqiao Church has been in custody for two years and four months since her arrest in July 2019.
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Wife of Guo Feixion to her stranded husband: "My life is coming to an end..."
hang Qing, the wife of Guo Feixiong, released a public statement begging for her husband to visit in her final days. She currently suffers from terminal colon cancer while her husband, a prominent Chinese human rights activist, remains stranded in China.
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Christian Families in Central India Face Social Boycott for Refusing to Recant Faith
On November 22, eight Christian families from Bansgoam village in India’s Chhattisgarh state were summoned to a village gathering where they were told to recant their faith.
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Xiamen court fines Christian couple over $50,000
On Thanksgiving, Xiamen Xunsiding Church’s pastor Yang Xibo received two “gifts” from the Xiamen municipal government. Siming district government rejected Mr. Yang’s request to cancel his administrative penalty and enforced a fine against Mr. Yang in 2019. His fines combined to ¥350,650 (~55,000 USD).
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Burmese Army Fires Weapons Targeting Churches in Chin State
As the Burmese Army (Tatmadaw) continues to fight opposition in various states in Myanmar, more churches in Christian-majority Chin state fall victims to the armed attacks followed by looting by the Tatmadaw soldiers.
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Former Three Self Pastor Detained for Two Years Without Trial
A Christian pastor who was once a preacher for a Chinese Three-Self church has been jailed for more than two years without trial.
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Attack on Iraqi Christian Home Sparks Insecurity Fear
The home of a Christian shopkeeper was attacked with homemade bombs on November 28. The Christian sold alcohol in his store and has been the subject of threats in the past.
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