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2019-07-25

• Attack Leads to Further Assassinations

  

  On the evening of June 27th, unidentified militants entered the village of Bani in northern Burkina Faso looking for Christians. After ordering everyone to lie on the ground, each villager was asked their name. The attackers then proceeded to search for anyone wearing Christian insignia, such as a cross.

  Four men were found wearing crosses: Theophile Ouedraogo, Ernest Kassoaga, and brothers David and Philippe Zoungrana. Upon this discovery, the four were taken aside and executed. Before leaving the village, the attackers burned a shop owned by David. They then moved on to another village, Pougrenoma, where they warned residents against calling the authorities, indicating that they would return. This latest attack brings the total number of Christians, all of whom were assassinated in a similar manner, to 27 since February.

• Christians Forced to Reconvert

  

  Christians who had been worshipping privately in their homes were dragged before local village leaders and forced to participate in a "reconversion" rite on June 14th. The action follows a pronouncement two days earlier that 12 Christian families in Mahuatoli would be banished if they did not return to the tribal Sarna religion. As a result of the threats, most have fled the village.

  According to an area pastor, threats are common in the Gumla District of Jharkhand, where Hindu militants have joined together with tribalists to revolt against the growth of Christianity. In this instance, a mob of 20 villagers broke into the home of Jogiya Munda, forcing him and his widowed mother to bow before an idol. Buckets of water were poured on them to symbolize the purification rite.

• Christian Prisoner Conditionally Released

  

  Despite being a member of the Armenian Orthodox Church, which is permitted in Iran due to its long history, Sevada Aghasar has faced numerous challenges for his faith. After being initially arrested in August 2013, but never officially charged, he served six months in prison (see this report).

  Then, in April 2015, Sevada was sentenced to five years in prison for "acting against national security through house-church activities" (read more). He began serving this sentence two years ago after losing his appeal.