On February 9th, two Christian evangelists were attacked by Muslim militants while preaching within an open-air market in central Ethiopia. As a result of the incident, both men suffered severe head injuries and thereby had to be transported to a local hospital. Details surrounding their current conditions have not yet been released at the time of publishing this report.
In a tribal region of Odisha State, three members of a Christian family were recently killed by close relatives, leaving three children orphaned and now in hiding. The incident took place in the village of Nialijharan on January 25th, claiming the lives of Jitendra Soren and his wife Malati, along with their 15-year-old daughter Sasmita.
On January 6th, seven members of the Early Rain Covenant Church were arrested, marking another development in the ongoing campaign against this unregistered congregation. (Previously published details relating to the arrests are available here.)
In a recent update, it was confirmed that three of the detained believers have been released on bail pending trial. One of the Christians, Liang Zhongyuan, was released on February 5th but remains under surveillance at a relative's home in Chengdu. Zhang Xinjue, the wife of Elder Li Yingqiang, was released on February 6th, along with Brother Lin.
