06.29.2024

China This Week: Pastor detained after church service

Pastor Sun Hongguang of the Holy Covenant True Word Church in Jilin province was taken by police during Sunday worship and detained for 5 days. 

China: Jailed by the CCP for street preaching?

"Thank God for granting me the opportunity to preach the Gospel." 

USCIRF Releases Report on Religious Freedom in Nicaragua

This report provides an update on the severely deteriorating religious freedom conditions in Nicaragua. President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo use laws on cybercrimes, financial crimes, legal registration for not-for-profit organizations, and sovereignty and self-determination to persecute religious communities and religious freedom advocates. 

The Christians of Mosul: Of martyrdom, lament, and inspiration

According to church tradition, June 29 marks the day of the Apostle Paul’s martyrdom.

Saudi Arabia: Last week’s Hajj became a death march in the heat

The Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, known as the Hajj, became a death march last week. In Saudi Arabia, over 1,300 pilgrims died in a heatwave.

Nigeria: Boko Haram Demands Ransom for Pastor Abducted in 2023

Islamic terror group Boko Haram recently shared on social media a video of Pastor Paul Musa pleading for his life as an armed, masked Islamic extremist stands behind him.

Christian Evangelist Slain in Eastern Uganda

Worker received threatening messages from Muslim extremists.

Pastor, Five Other Christians Arrested in Laos

Village officials detain them at prayer meeting.

Pakistan: Court grants Bail to 52 Islamists Accused of Lynching Elderly Christian, “There’s Very Little Hope for Justice for the Victim”

Following reported pressure from a powerful hardline Islamic group, a court in Punjab Province, Pakistan last week granted bail to 52 Islamists accused of lynching 74-year-old Nazeer Masih Gill in Sargodha on May 25 over false blasphemy accusations, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.

China: A somber, nine-year anniversary behind bars for this activist

This was the 'evidence' Communist officials used to send activist Zhang Haitao to prison for 19 years!

ICC Cited in State Department's New International Religious Freedom Report

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of State released its annual International Religious Freedom report, which outlines the status of religious freedom in nearly 200 countries. 

USCIRF Releases Report on Religious Freedom in Sri Lanka

This report provides an overview of the current religious freedom conditions in Sri Lanka and key observations from USCIRF’s 2023 delegation to the country, such as religiously motivated land disputes, registration challenges, and the use of discriminatory legislation to target and detain religious minorities. 

Nations urge citizens to leave Lebanon as Israel-Hezbollah tensions escalate

Escalating tensions threaten to tip the Gaza war into a regional conflict. 

35 years after Tiananmen: Communism, Christianity, and China

Earlier this month marked the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre when the Chinese government ordered troops and police to crack down on pro-democracy protestors.

Nigeria: Suspected Islamic Fulani Militants Kill 5 Christians

An attack on Monday, June 17, resulted in the deaths of five Christians in Ewehko Village, also known as Anguwan Paul, located in the Maro Ward of Kajuru county.

Mourning in southern Russia after attacks

Russia’s Republic of Dagestan concludes three days of mourning after attacks by Islamic militants this past Sunday. 

Rally in Pakistan defends the killing of a Christian

On June 9, 2,500 Pakistanis supported the men who brutally attacked an elderly Christian through an Islamic extremist rally in favor of enforcing Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.

Shattered Widow of Christian Lynched in Pakistan Has Died

Trauma, depression follow killing incited by false blasphemy accusation.

President's Voice: Iraqi Court Commands Christian Mother and Daughters to Convert to Islam

Iraq’s Personal Status Law, which mandates children adopt Islam if one of their parents converts, has forced a mother, Elvin Joseph, and her three daughters to convert from Christianity to Islam, following the revelation of her mother’s conversion to Islam after her divorce and remarriage to a Muslim man.

The Gift of New Life in Pakistan

When Christians are freed from the bondage of working in Pakistan’s brick kilns, they often don’t have the skills they need to support themselves — let alone their families — outside of the kilns.

Kenya: Mary’s Testimony of Faith Amid Grief

Last August, al-Shabab militants ambushed Kaingu who was on his way to deliver goods to Lamu. He was cross-examined and killed as soon as the terrorists discovered he was a Christian.

Authorities Threaten Indonesian Church with Eviction

Local authorities have threatened Indonesian Christian Huria Church (HKI) Juanda Depok with eviction because of its proximity to the Indonesian International Islamic University (UIII) in Depok City, West Java.

Armenian Christian Sentenced to 10 Years in Iranian Prison

After losing a court appeal in early June, Armenian Hakop Gochymayan received a 10-year prison sentence for allegedly participating in Christian activities in Iran.

China: Never letting the persecuted suffer in silence

It's always an amazing blessing when our media team is able to report about a prisoner jailed for their faith in Christ.

Blasphemy Law Wielded against Christian in Pakistan

Relatives misuse statute in personal dispute, Christian leader says.