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Discrimination

• Teachers Forced to Deny Religious Beliefs

   

  

  Authorities in Wenzhou City have recently mandated that all teachers must sign a "Public Pledge Form." The document forbids educators from professing any religious beliefs and also demands that they agree not to engage in any practice or propagation of religion. Along with these enforced requirements, they must also support Marxist socialist principles.

• Registration Applications Denied

  

  Although religious communities in Uzbekistan would like to obtain official permission (to exist), as required by the state, all their applications have been blocked. Protestant churches, Shia Muslim communities, along with groups of other minority religious affiliation, have not only had their registrations denied, but now they are being subjected to subsequent fines, torture and other punishments.

• Church Leadership Assembly Forced to Cancel

  

  Vietnam's largest evangelical church group has called off its assembly to elect new leaders after the Vietnamese government denied permission to hold the meeting. The Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South) announced on November 25th that the gathering scheduled for early February was being postponed. That same day, the government's Bureau of Religious Affairs released a statement urging the ECVN(S) to observe Article 34 of the Law on Belief and Religion in order to hold the assembly.

• Churches Closed by Pandemic Remain Unopened

   

  

  As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the world, places of worship in many nations have been closed to prevent the spread of the virus. While all places of worship and entertainment were initially closed in Algeria since March, governing officials decided to gradually reopen various religious centres as of August, beginning with large mosques consisting of over a thousand worshippers.

• Opposition From Many Fronts

  

  Sources in China have indicated that the persecution facing Christians at this time may be the worst since the radical actions of the Cultural Revolution under Mao Zedong. Crosses are being torn down around the country and the central government has insisted on obtaining control of churches. A policy of Sinicization has been instituted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), in its attempts to eliminate what is perceived as foreign influence and make everything fit under its concept of Chinese culture and beliefs.

• Christians Forced to Flee Their Homes

  

  Local authorities in the Laotian province of Salavan chased seven Christians from their homes, forcing them to live within makeshift huts in the woods, all because these believers refused to renounce their faith. The Christians were members of two families from the village of Pasing-Kang. Since their eviction on October 10th, relatives have attempted to take them food and clothing, but village leaders have forbidden the provision of any assistance. The family members are concerned that they may also be thrown out of their homes if they provide help.

• Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy

  

  In 2013, Asif Pervaiz was working in a garment factory where he was reportedly pressured by his supervisor, Muhammad Saeed Khokher (also referred to as Saeed Ahmed Khokher), to convert from Christianity to Islam. After Asif sent text messages resisting the supervisor's demands, the father of four was accused of blasphemy and taken into custody where he has since been awaiting trial for seven years.

• Strict Opposition to Missionary Activity

  

  In July 2016, Russia passed religion laws restricting "illegal missionary activity" by either citizens or foreigners. This activity could involve speaking to people about religion, or the distribution of either printed, audio or video materials. Between January and June of this year, there have been 42 known prosecutions, resulting in 36 convictions. All those who were convicted received fines.

• Court Upholds Church Closure Order

  

  The Spring of Life Church in Makouda is the second largest Protestant church in Algeria with about 700 members. In October 2019, it was ordered to be closed, along with two other churches (see this report). The closures happened under Ordinance 06-03, which states that permission must be obtained before using a building for non-Muslim worship.

• Church Buildings Confiscated

  

  City officials in Kazakhstan's capital of Nur-Sultan have ordered the confiscation of the Grace Presbyterian Church building, as well as the place of worship being constructed on the same site for the Agape Pentecostal Church. The authorities claim that the land is needed for a new public kindergarten.