A Christian's home was raided in Agdash, Azerbaijan on March 25 by the local official of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, police officers and two cameramen, according to an April 1 report from Forum18. Twelve children were gathered at Vera Zhuchaeva's home, with their parents' permission, to listen to Bible stories when authorities entered. They forced the children into one room, questioned them, and recorded their names. The children were then released to their parents. Police also confiscated 508 books and 40 films from the house. Three believers who were visiting from the capital city of Baku were taken to a police station and questioned for four hours. When they went to the station the next day to pick up their identification documents, they were fined for "illegally spreading Christianity and other faiths."
Pray that Christian parents will demonstrate an unwavering commitment to Christ and continue to teach their children about the Lord (Deuteronomy 11:18-20, 2 Timothy 1:5). Pray that religious freedom will be respected in Azerbaijan.
To find out more about Azerbaijan's suffering Christians, click here.
Two Iranian Christian women, Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad (30) and Maryam Rustampoor (27), were arrested by security forces on March 5, according to a March 29 report from Farsi Christian News Network. Iranian officials have allegedly labeled the women "anti-government activists." The believers' apartment was raided and some of their personal belongings confiscated. They have been interrogated several times and their bail is set at approximately $500,000 CAD. At last report, the women were being held without charge at the notoriously brutal Evin Prison near the capital city of Tehran. They are permitted daily one-minute phone calls to their families. Both women are reportedly in poor health.