Two Churches Closed in Laos as Authorities Tighten Control
Reports from Laos say authorities closed two churches in the southern part of the country earlier this year.
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Minority Christians "Punished" In Vietnam
Evangelical Christians blamed for the unrest in Vietnam's Central Highlands in early February have been abducted, tortured and prevented from worshipping together by security police, according to reports from the region.
...continue reading this storyPolice Arrest Two Christians in Azerbaijan
Two Christians were sent to jail yesterday for seven days on charges of "disobeying the police" in the town of Ismailly, 120 miles west of the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.
...continue reading this storyBaptist prisoner's family pressured to convert to Islam in Turkmenistan
The wife and children of Baptist prisoner Shageldy Atakov in Turkmenistan have been told by the local mullah, administration officials and officers of the country's political police, the KNB (former KGB), that they may not believe in Jesus Christ and must convert to Islam. According to a statement from local Baptists -- passed on to Keston News Service by the German-based Friedensstimme mission -- officials in the town of Kaakhka, close to Turkmenistan's southern border with Iran, also warned Atakov's wife, Artygyul, that the family home would be confiscated if Christians continue to meet there.
...continue reading this storyMob Attacks Church in Tripura, India
A fundamentalist Hindu mob attacked a church in the eastern Indian state of Tripura on February 25. Church leaders say the Krishnanagar Baptist Church in the capital Agartala was attacked as Christians were attending the Sunday service. The mob forced the pastor to stop the service.
...continue reading this storyNew Blasphemy Case Filed Against Pakistani Christian
Police in Pakistan's Punjab province registered another questionable blasphemy case against one of its Christian citizens on April 1, jailing a respected high school principal for slander he allegedly spoke two months ago against Mohammed, the prophet of Islam. Pervaiz Masih, founding director of the Iqbal Memorial High School in Chelay Kay village near Sialkot, was arrested at his home on April 1 during a late-night police raid.
...continue reading this storyViolence Continues in Indonesia while Rescue Proceeds
Work is underway to resettle Indonesian Christians rescued from violence that continues in this country's Molucca Islands, while thousands more remain to be rescued.
...continue reading this storyChristians Attacked in Sri Lanka While Praying
One Christian was seriously injured and 35 more were hospitalized when about 100 Buddhist extremists assaulted the congregation of the Sanasum Sevana (New Life) Christian Center as they prayed on Sunday morning, February 18. The church is located in Nurwarawatte, near Hinguragoda, 220 kilometers northeast of the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo.
...continue reading this storyChristian Aid Responds to Horror in the Moluccas
Responding to urgent pleas for help, Christian Aid has joined a campaign to raise $1.2 million to rescue Christians feared targeted for conversion or extermination by Muslim jihad warriors in Indonesia.
...continue reading this storyPanel examining Indonesian persecution hears Christian prof, Muslim leader
Sharply different perspectives on religious persecution in Indonesia have been laid before the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
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