05.01.2021

China continues mistreatment of Uighur people

Earlier this week, the U.S. recognized the Armenian Genocide, the organized killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

US acknowledges Armenian Genocide

Last week, the U.S. formally recognized the killing of 1.5 million Armenians during World War I as a genocide. Twenty-nine other countries have made similar declarations, including France, Germany, and Canada.

Hearing May 12 on Ending Genocide: U.S. Government Genocide Determinations and Next Steps

Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a virtual hearing that will highlight how the U.S. government has made the determination to call, or not to call, mass atrocities against religious groups genocide and offer recommendations to enhance U.S. efforts to respond to mass atrocities. 

Imprisoned pastor released in Laos

A pastor in Laos has been released after spending a year in prison. He was convicted of “creating disorder” after holding church services without permission.

Please Continue to Pray for the Christians in Armenia

Happy Orthodox Easter! Tomorrow millions around the world – especially in the Middle East – will celebrate Easter in the Orthodox calendar.

Students Kidnapped in Attack on Christian School in Plateau State, Nigeria

One Christian student remains captive after three others escaped abduction on Thursday (April 29) by Muslim Fulani herdsmen from a Christian missions school in Plateau state, Nigeria, sources said.

European Parliament Passes Resolution in Support of Blasphemy Victims in Pakistan

Amongst the provisions the Resolution calls on the EAS to review "immediately" the trade agreement with Pakistan given its numerous human rights violations and urges all EU and European diplomatic personnel to "do everything they can" to provide support and protection for Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Emmanuel.

Police in Pakistan Torture Christian into False Confession of Blasphemy

Young man held illegally in custody for more than two months, attorney says.

India Christian Missionaries, Church Leaders Die In Pandemic

Christian missionaries and church leaders already suffering persecution in several areas are among those dying of severe symptoms of COVID-19 raging in India, aid workers say.

West Papua Churches Urge UN To Halt Attacks

The West Papua Council of Churches urges the United Nations to help end a “humanitarian tragedy” in Indonesia’s Papua region where it says Indonesia’s military kills Christian leaders.

Muslim Fulani Herdsmen Kill 33 Christians in One Week in Benue State, Nigeria

Camp for the displaced and five villages attacked.

At Least One Dead in Latest School Kidnapping

A staff member at Greenfield University was killed early Wednesday morning when gunmen attacked and kidnapped students from yet another school in Northern Nigeria.

Mob in India Beats and Forces Pastor to Perform Hindu Rituals

According to Morning Star News, a pastor in India’s Karnataka state was brutally attacked and forced to preform Hindu rituals by a mob of radical Hindu nationalists.

New Committee to Address Christian Property in KRG

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) moved to create an ad hoc committee to address the issue of illegal expropriation of property owned by minority ethnic and religious groups, beginning with the area’s Christians.

Raid on Chinese Church Results in Court Hearing

In a joint operation, the Bureau of Ethnic and Religious Affairs raided the Mt. Olive Church on March 24, confiscating pamphlets, Bibles, books, and other religious items without a warrant.

Please pray for Algerian Christians

Authorities in Algeria continue to keep churches closed since 2019 despite international pressure.

Please pray for Mohamed and Hamdi in Somaliland

In September 2020 we highlighted the case of a Somali couple who the authorities arrested and later deported for converting to Christianity.

The situation for Christian converts remains difficult in Yemen

The situation of Yemen has been repeatedly made international news, especially due to the endless and deadly Yemeni Civil War.

Campaign Launched to Discredit Christian Groups in Nepal

Hard-line Hindus seek to revoke registration of Christian charities.

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 595

Death threats, by Islamic State in Sinai, against Egyptian Copt sons who mourn dad

Fears that ‘Islamic State’ once again threatens the lives of some of the Middle East’s largest Christian population have emerged again, after the radical militant group killed an Egyptian Coptic businessman who’d funded the construction of the only church in his north Sinai village.

Pakistani Christian nurses jailed for removing a sticker

Thrown in jail for removing a sticker? That’s the situation for two Christian nurses in Pakistan. This happened in Pakistan’s third largest city, Faisalabad.

Christians Killed, Kidnapped in Attack on Worship Service in Nigeria

Two Christian women among university students abducted and slain.

U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom Adds Azerbaijan and Turkey to Special Watch List

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has added Azerbaijan and Turkey to its special watch list (SWL) for “engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom.”

U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom Warns of “Christian Genocide” in Nigeria

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has warned of a “Christian genocide” if the government of Nigeria cannot protect Christians from Islamic terrorism.

Eritrea Releases 14 Christians After Four Years in Prison

Fourteen Christians have been released by the authorities in Eritrea after four years of incarceration in Dahlak Island Prison on the Red Sea.

Four Iranian Christian Converts Arrested by Security Forces

Iranian intelligence agents arrested four Christian converts on April 19 in a series of detentions in Dezful in the southwest of Iran.

Christian Convert in Saudi Arabia Acquitted of Theft, Faces Further Charges

A Christian convert from Islam in Saudi Arabia has been acquitted of theft on the grounds that there is no evidence to support the accusations.

Algerian Scholar Given Three-Year Prison Sentence for “Offending Islam

An Algerian Muslim scholar was given a three-year prison sentence by a court in Algiers on April 22 after being convicted of “offending Islam.”

US President Joe Biden Officially Recognises Armenian Genocide

US President Joe Biden has become the first president of the United States to officially recognise as genocide the massacre of Armenians and other Christians by the Ottoman Empire.

Preparing For Persecution - Lessons to Help You from the Chinese Church

“For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him” (Philippians 1:29).

CUBA | Catholic Nursing Home Harassed

A Havana based nun has published an open letter protesting the Cuban government’s “disproportionate” targeting of a nursing home for elderly women run by the Servants of Saint Joseph in Miramar, Havana.

NIGERIA| Women Abducted as Kidnapping Crisis Continues

One person was killed, another was injured, and four women were abducted when armed men of Fulani ethnicity attacked the Sunday service of a Baptist church in a village in Chikun Local Government Area (LGA) in southern Kaduna state on April 25. Kaduna is increasingly becoming the epicentre of kidnapping and banditry activity in Nigeria.

USCIRF Condemns Additional Prison Sentence for Iranian Religious Prisoner of Conscience

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today condemned the government of Iran for sentencing religious prisoner of conscience Golrokh Iraee to an additional year in prison, a ban on membership in political organizations, and a two-year travel ban on charges of “propaganda against the state.” 

Islamists in Pakistan Forcibly 'Convert' Catholic, Threaten Family

Harm will come if mentally challenged man 'leaves' Islam, they say. By Our Pakistan Correspondent

Egypt's Claim of Killing Suspected Executioners of Christian Suspicious

Government statement raises more questions than it answers.

Russia Banning Christian Education

Russia has stripped several Christian institutions of their right to offer higher education, several sources confirmed.