The first half of 2016 has seen church demolitions in Cuba gather pace as the government crackdown on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) on the island continues. The authorities have also begun to confiscate 1,400 Assemblies of God (AOG) churches that were earmarked for seizure in 2015, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
...continue reading this storyLast month two churches in Chile were set ablaze by supporters of the Mapuche -- a Chilean movement that seeks to rid the region of religions contrary to their own indigenous beliefs.
...continue reading this storyTwenty-seven evangelical Protestant families in Chiapas state, Mexico, will finally have their access to water and electricity returned after local authorities had agreed two years ago to respect their minority religious freedoms in the village of Union Juarez, Trinitaria Municipality.
...continue reading this storyInternational Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that in the early morning hours of February 15, the day Pope Francis arrived in the state of Chiapas, a minority Christian church located in Zincacantan, in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, was set ablaze, leaving hundreds without a place of worship. Although too early to definitively report on the identity of the perpetrators, the state government has been notified of the crime.
...continue reading this storyTen Baptist families were unceremoniously expelled from the community of Tuxpan de Bolanos in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, last week for refusing to recant their faith.
...continue reading this storyEarlier this month, police in Cuba had arrested two pastors while government officials supervised the demolition of their churches.
...continue reading this storyThirty Evangelical Protestants from the village of Leyva Velazquez in Chiapas, Mexico, were forced to flee what remained of their homes last week, according to International Christian Concern.
...continue reading this storyPolice are investigating bombs that were placed next to three churches in New Mexico.
...continue reading this storyTwo converts to Protestantism who had been imprisoned at the municipal capital of San Juan Chamula in Chiapas State since July 7 have now been released.
...continue reading this storyUnited States officials have questioned Mexico's government regarding reports of widespread discrimination and displacement of Protestant Christian communities in Chiapas and other Mexican states.
...continue reading this story