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released

• Uyghur Pastor Released After 15 Years

  

  After serving 15 years in prison, Alimujiang Yimiti has finally been released. While other details relating to his release are unconfirmed, the house church pastor, also known as Alim, is now home with his family. Ethnically, this faithful Christian leader happens to be of the Uyghur (Turkic) minority group, which is also experiencing severe human rights abuses in China.

• Christian Evangelist Released on Bail

  

  In June 2022, Lin Xuesui was arrested by China's Public Security Bureau and accused of "organizing and financing illegal gatherings." These accusations resulted from his ministry work in a remote region located approximately 2,000 kilometres from his home, where he shared his Christian testimony with local villagers. (A previous report on Lin's arrest is available here.)

• Christians Released on Bail

  

  With thanksgiving, Bob Fu from ChinaAid reported on social media that Wang Minghai and Wan Hongxia were released from prison on January 13th. The two Christians had been detained since their arrests in August 2021. They were charged with conducting "illegal business operations" due to their involvement with a private Christian school. (A previous report on the situation can be reviewed here.)

• Abducted Pastor and His Wife Released!

  

  The previous month, a report from the Persecution & Prayer Alert addressed concerns over the ongoing harassment experienced by churches in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. It was reported that the leader of the Kurchatov Church in Mariupol, together with his wife, had been abducted by Russian soldiers. At that time, their location was unknown. (For more information, see this page.)

• Two Christians Released from Evin Prison

  

  When news broke out that Evin Prison in Tehran had experienced a fire on October 15th, families of the prisoners were rightly concerned about the safety of those who were inside during the incident. Sounds of gunfire had been heard in the prison, along with explosions. While the reason for the fire remains unclear, it has been reported that all Christian prisoners of conscience were unharmed. For two particular Christian inmates, the days that followed brought an unexpected blessing when they were pardoned and released from prison.

• All Emmanuel Baptist Hostages Released!

  

  Christians in Kaduna State, Nigeria, were devastated after an attack took place in the village of Kakau Daji on October 31st in which at least one worshipper was killed and 66 kidnapped. (Read an earlier posted report about this incident.)Sadly, five of the hostages were shot by their captors on November 6th, leaving two dead and three others hospitalized.

• Christian Prisoner Acquitted

  

  Blasphemy accusations have been used as weapons against Christians in Pakistan for many years. The world's attention was most recently drawn to this situation through the case of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was accused in 2009 and sentenced to death. After finally being acquitted and released ten years later, Asia was forced to secretly flee the country.

• Prisoner Located and Since Released on Bail

  

  In the Persecution & Prayer Alert that VOMC published on September 30th, it was reported that three Christians had been arrested while attending a prayer meeting in Rasht, Iran, on September 5th. The report had mentioned that two of the believers were released on bail, but family members were unable to locate Ayoub Poor-Rezazade. See this report for more details.

• 28 Students Released from Captivity!

  

  In the early morning of July 5th, suspected Fulani militants raided the Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna State, abducting more than 120 students (read this report). Since the kidnapping, a few students at a time have managed to escape in various ways.

• Christian Prisoners Released

  

  In September and October of 2020, a total of 69 Christian prisoners were released from the Mai Serwa prison near Asmara for reasons that are unclear. According to a recent report from Church in Chains, an additional ten Christians have since been released from the same prison during the second week of January. While the names of these latest released prisoners have not been made public, it is known that some of them were held in custody for over five years. (To date, no reports have been received indicating the release of detainees from other prisons in Eritrea.)