Last week, the Persecution and Prayer Alert reported on the arrest of a couple who led an orphanage in Nepal. Babu and Sabitri Varghese had been accused of forcible conversion of those under their care. On May 9, EquipNepal received a phone call from Babu, reporting that they had been released and all charges had been dropped due to lack of evidence. Though very tired and suffering from a cold, Babu and Sabitri are well and praising God for their release. They are hoping to take a few days away to rest.
Babu expressed concern for a strike planned by militant Hindus in Birganj City on May 12 to protest their release. Pray that these plans will fall through. Thank God for their safe release. Pray for a quick recovery for Babu and Sabitri. Thank you to all who prayed on their behalf.
For more information on the tensions facing Christians in Nepal, click here.
One week after a prayer meeting in Riyadh was raided and forty Christians arrested, a second house church meeting was broken up by the muttawa (religious police) on April 29 and five leaders taken into custody. According to a May 4 report from Compass Direct, sixty Ethiopian and Eritrean Christians had gathered together for prayer when the muttawa, together with high-ranking Muslim sheikhs, burst into the meeting, confiscating forty Bibles and a cross necklace before warning them to never meet there for prayer again. Those detained have been identified as Yemane Gebre Loul, Gazai Zarom, Msfen Tekle, Yonas Tekle, and Teklu Mola. For the first few days, they were allowed telephone contact with their families and one man's wife was permitted to visit. However, on March 3, they were reportedly transferred to prison facilities of the Ministry of the Interior. There has been no communication with the prisoners since.