Tags

Detainment / Arrest

• Armenian Christian Faces Ten-Year Sentence

  

  Hakop Gochumyan and his wife Elisa are citizens of Armenia who went to Iran for vacation in August 2023. While the Christian couple and their two children were having dinner at a friend's house, agents from the Ministry of Intelligence raided the property. The authorities took the Christian family to the home of Elisa's grandmother, where the believers had been staying, and proceeded to search the residence. During the raid, Christian books and other personal belongings were confiscated. The couple was then taken to Evin Prison where they faced interrogation and intense psychological torture.

• Verdict Expected for Priest Charged with Espionage

  

  When Father Kostiantyn Maksimov was taken captive by Russian occupation forces in May 2023, little was known about the whereabouts of the Ukrainian Orthodox priest. In late March 2024, the Russian prosecutor for the Zaporizhzhia Region announced that Father Kostiantyn would be facing espionage charges. (For more details, see this report.)

• New Health Concerns for Elder Zhang Chunlei

  

  Zhang Chunlei is an elder with the Ren'ai Reformed Church in Guiyang, China. He was detained in March 2021 and remained in detention without charge until his trial in November 2022, when he was accused of "inciting subversion of state power." The trial was held in secret, without any witnesses, and a verdict has never been announced since then. In the meantime, Elder Zhang continues to remain imprisoned. (Review previously published reports about this church leader's case.)

• Persistent Harassment Against Church Deacons

  

  In 2018, the Early Rain Covenant Church was violently raided by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities, resulting in multiple arrests. Since then, members of the church have continued to face harassment, including a church deacon named Jia Xuewei. Click here for previous reports on Jia's situation.

• Esmaeil Narimanpour Sentenced to Prison

  

  On Christmas Eve of 2023, Esmaeil Narimanpour was apprehended by security forces. The Iranian follower of Jesus was charged with "acting against national security by communicating with Christian 'Zionist' organizations." As of April 30th, he was released on bail after spending more than four months in detention. For more details relating to his case, see these previously posted reports.

• Raymond Koh's Wife Demands Answers

  

  Pastor Raymond Koh was no stranger to persecution when he was abducted off the streets of Malaysia on February 13th, 2017. The incident was caught on security cameras and, although no information about Pastor Raymond's captors has ever been released by the authorities, it is believed that government security forces were responsible for the incident. Video footage of the abduction is available here. For previously published reports about the missing pastor, see this list.

• Christians Imprisoned for 20 Years Without Charge

  

  On May 23rd, 2004, Eritrean authorities arrested two pastors from the Full Gospel Church in Eritrea: Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel and Pastor Haile Nayzgi. The arrests were made in response to a government ban instituted in 2002 against all but four of the country's religious communities. Throughout 2004, arrests continued against pastors of the banned organization, which consisted of between 120 and 150 home church congregations at the time. Pastor Meron Gebreselasie was arrested in June 2004. Then in November of that year, Dr. Futsum Gebrenegus, Dr. Tekleab Mengisteab and Rev. Gebremedhin Gebregiorgis were also detained.

• Recent Passing of Imprisoned Church Leader

  

  Reverend Ghirmay Araya was one of the founders of the Full Gospel Church in Eritrea. Under the country's oppressive regime, the denomination was banned in 2002 and its senior leaders were imprisoned in 2004. Over the decades since, thousands of other Eritreans have been imprisoned for their faith, often enduring torture and inhumane treatment.

• Pastor Meets with Imprisoned Zafar Bhatti

  

  Zafar Bhatti has been held in prison for 12 years on allegations of blasphemy. Although initially sentenced to life imprisonment in 2017, the Christian man's punishment was changed to include the death penalty in January 2022. During his time in prison, Zafar has faced various health issues. Diagnosed with diabetes, he suffered two minor heart attacks in 2019 and another in 2020. For previously published reports on Zafar's case, go to this page.

• Detained Christian Convert Released on Bail

  

  Christian convert Esmaeil Narimanpour was detained at his home on Christmas Eve in 2023. When his family members attempted to inquire about his situation, they were subjected to interrogation by security forces for several hours. For more details on this incident, go to this page.