Iran: Believers to begin prison sentences for “spreading Christian Zionism”

Three Christians convicted of spreading “Zionist Christianity” in Iran have been ordered to begin serving their prison sentences of between two and five years at the end of this month, Christian Persecution reports.

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Syria: City of Idlib has lost most of its Christian population

The governorate of Idlib in Syria has been almost entirely emptied of its substantial Christian community in the wake of 10 years of catastrophic civil war, Christian Persecution (CP) reports. Unofficial statistics state that around 200 Christians have managed to cling on to the city, but some 10,000 have now left.

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Bangladesh: 91 year-old Christian murdered in suspected revenge attack

A 91-year-old Christian villager was drugged and killed in southern Bangladesh last month, in what is believed to have been a revenge attack on his family for giving evidence in a rape case against a Muslim man, Asia News reports. The killing of Malkam D’Costa at his home in the village of Padrishibpur, Barisal triggered angry protests among local Bangladeshi Christians, who say they are persecuted as a minority faith group in their Islamic-majority country.

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North Korea: Letter to advocacy group offers rare insight into life for Christians

Offering a rare glimpse into the life of Christians in secretive, isolated North Korea, advocacy group Open Doors UK recently shared a letter from an underground church leader who was exiled to do hard labor in a remote village without the possibility of returning home, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. North Korea is one of the most dangerous places in the world for Christians: Open Doors describes the level of persecution there as “extreme.”

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India: Police officer believed to have burned down church in Chhattisgarh state

Christians from India’s Koya tribal community in Kistaram village, Chhattisgarh state believe the head of their local police station is responsible for burning down their church in the early hours of 5 February, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports.

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