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Fine

• Appeal Denied for Detained Christians

  

  Anooshavan Avedian is an Iranian‑Armenian Christian leader who was arrested for promoting "propaganda contrary to and disturbing to the holy religion of Islam" through the house church he operated in his home. He was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, along with an additional ten years of "deprivation of social rights." While two Christian converts, Abbas Soori and Maryam Mohammadi, were also sentenced with the same ten‑year deprivation term, they were spared the prison time. See this report for more details.

• Pastor Fined for Conducting Baptisms

  

  In October 2021, the Living Faith Church in Gomel, Belarus, was in need of a place to perform baptisms. Without the necessary facilities, the registered congregation gathered at a local river to hold the service. However, the law states that no religious activities are permitted to take place outside the approved facilities without prior authorization from the state. At the time, Pastor Dmitry Podlobko received an official warning, along with a fine.

• Pastor Receives One-Year Sentence

  

  Pastor Keshav Raj Acharya of the Abundant Harvest Church in Pokhara, Nepal, has faced ongoing pressure from Nepalese authorities over the past two years. Initially detained in March 2020, he was accused of spreading false information about COVID-19 after uttering a recorded statement that "God is able to heal." Eventually those charges were dropped, but the pastor was arrested twice more for allegedly trying to convert Hindus to Christianity and "outraging religious feelings." In November 2021, he was convicted but granted bail a month later while appealing the ruling (see this page).

• No New Churches Allowed

  

  In late May, Protestant church leaders in Tajikistan were summoned to a meeting with Sulaymon Davlatzoda, the chair of the State Committee for Religious Affairs and Regulation of Traditions, Ceremonies and Rituals. During the meeting, they were informed that the government would no longer be registering any new churches. "We will keep the figure of registered churches unchanged from now on," Sulaymon told them. He further went on to remind the church leaders that there are to be no religious activities for those under 18 years of age, including their participation in any religious camps.

• Christians Penalized for Not Participating in Festival

  

  For the fourth consecutive year, Christians from the Alpha and Omega Presbyterian Church in Nueva las Tacitas, Chiapas State, are being forced to participate in a religious festival or face fines from village leaders. Every year, the people of the area celebrate the Santa Cruz Festival on May 3rd. This festival is part of syncretistic religious beliefs, involving a combination of Roman Catholicism and traditional tribal religions.

• Court Orders Partial Destruction

  

  A court in the Sudanese city of Khartoum Bahri has ordered the partial demolition of the Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church, effectively blocking the only entry point to the building. The church has faced several court challenges in the past. In 2013, the government imposed a committee upon the church, which then sold part of its land to investors. That committee was later ruled illegal by the court. Since that time, however, various buildings were destroyed and church members have subsequently been arrested and fined for protesting the illegal sales of their properties (read more).

• Pastor Sentenced to Prison for Evangelism

  

  Pastor Keshav Raj Acharya of the Abundant Harvest Church in Pokhara, Nepal, was initially arrested and detained in March 2020 after a video was released in which he allegedly claimed that the COVID-19 virus could be healed through prayer. The pastor denies ever uploading the video. He was initially released on bail but then re-arrested and charged with "outraging religious feelings" and "attempting to convert." Pastor Keshav was detained in a remote area of the country with restricted access to transportation.

• Pastor and Three Other Christians Facing Charges

  

  Pastor Salah Chalah is the senior pastor of the largest Protestant church in Algeria, as well as the president of the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA). He and three other believers have been summoned to appear in court on December 5th. Pastor Salah faces multiple charges, including "practising non-Muslim rites without permission" and organizing an assembly. Penalties can range from heavy fines to up to five years' imprisonment. The other three Christians have received similar charges, with one of them also facing charges for allegedly taking photographs of people without their permission.

• Believer's Family Escapes into Exile

  

  A Christian believer in Saudi Arabia, who was identified in previous Persecution & Prayer Alert reports as "A" or "Adam," has been sentenced with a large fine for allegedly attempting to convert Muslims to Christianity, as well as assisting his sister to flee the country. The accused believer was given 30 days to pay the fine unless an appeal was granted. (For more details about this situation, see this page.)

• Suspended Prison Sentence

  

  On February 27th, Pastor Rachid Seighir was convicted of "shaking the faith" of Muslims through the availability of materials in his church's bookstore in Oran, Algeria. He, along with his bookstore sales representative, Nouh Hamimi, were sentenced to two years in prison. For more on this case, see this report.

  The men appealed the decision, and a ruling was expected on May 30th. After a week's delay, the judgement was reduced on June 6th to a one-year suspended sentence, along with a fine of $1,800.00 CAD each. The men intend to appeal their initial conviction.

  Government-Mandated Church Closures