Members of a thriving Baptist church in western Uzbekistan say local authorities have begun demolishing their worship facility as part of a broader crackdown on devoted Christians.
...continue reading this storyPressure is mounting on Rahymjan Borjakov, a 44-year-old pastor who faces imminent arrest for leading an unregistered church in Turkmenistan, Christians tell Worthy News.
...continue reading this storyUzbekistan’s draft legislation to “further strengthen the rights of children” will lead to government persecution of Christian parents in the former Soviet nation, well-informed sources told Worthy News.
...continue reading this storyMinority Christians in Kyrgyzstan fear measures limiting their worship possibilities may be forthcoming despite legislators opposing more restrictive religious legislation.
...continue reading this storyBaptist Christians in southern Kazakhstan have suffered a surge in police raids upon their churches, as well as arrests and fines for expressing their faith, Christian Daily (CD) reports.
...continue reading this storyThe United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended that the transcontinental country of Azerbaijan now be placed on the US State Department’s list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) because of intensifying violations of religious freedom, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. The USCIRF made its recommendation in its new annual report on the status of religious freedom around the world.
...continue reading this storyA Belarusian preacher, Syarhey Melyanets, has still not been released from jail in Belarus after being sentenced to 13 days’ imprisonment on unspecified charges, Radio Free Europe (RFE) reports.
...continue reading this storyA pastor in Belarus was sentenced to 15 days in prison earlier this month after praying that the Russian invasion of Ukraine would end, Christian Daily (CD) reports.
...continue reading this storyHundreds of priests in autocratically-ruled Belarus have been warned that state agencies are monitoring them and hundreds of religious communities.
...continue reading this storyIn a move welcomed by religious rights advocates, the United States has for the first time officially listed the Republic of Azerbaijan as a country which violates religious freedom, Christianity Today (CT) reports. A part of the former Soviet Union until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, Azerbaijan is a Muslim-majority transcontinental state which lies at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia.
...continue reading this story