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2022-01-13

• Christians Jailed by Village Mayor

  

  Three Christians in San Pedro Chimaltepec, a Mexican town located in eastern Oaxaca state, were jailed by the local mayor after refusing to contribute monetarily to an annual religious festival. Many residents of Oaxaca state practise a "traditionalist" mix of Catholic and indigenous religions involving rituals in which all villagers are expected to participate. The three Christian men, who are all members of the Emmanuel Mission Center Church, believed that it would be wrong for them to contribute to a festival that honours idols.

• Death Penalty for Longtime Prisoner; Bail for Another

  

  On January 3rd, a judge at the Rawalpindi District Court in Pakistan ruled to change a Christian pastor's sentence of life imprisonment to the death penalty. Zafar Bhatti has been imprisoned on charges of blasphemy since July 2012. After five years, he was ultimately convicted and sentenced to life in prison. The charges arise from an alleged text message, yet Zafar denies that the phone in question was even registered to his name. For more information on the ordeal facing this Pakistani pastor, view these reports.

• Court Hearing Postponed for Accused Christians

  

  Pastor Salah Chalah is the senior pastor of the largest Protestant church in Algeria, where governmental restrictions in opposition to Christianity have escalated to an alarming degree. As a result, he was recently summoned to appear in court, along with three other Christians, and is now facing multiple charges. The court hearing was scheduled to take place on December 5th (read more). However, on January 10th, new details emerged indicating that the hearing has been postponed until January 16th.