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COVID-19

• COVID-19 Outbreak Leads to Opposition

  

  For more than 20 years, Phuong Van Tan and Vo Xuan Loan have served at the Revival Ekklesia Mission Church in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. However, in recent months, they became the targets of major opposition and a potential criminal investigation after a COVID-19 outbreak was blamed on the church.

• Increasing Pressure from Hindu Nationalists

  

  For many years, the Hindu Nationalist organization RSS has been an influential factor in Indian politics, particularly within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). One of the goals of the RSS is to change India from a secular democracy to a nation governed by Hindu polity. One way this is being achieved is through the passing of anti-conversion laws to prevent people from converting from Hinduism.

• Churches Closed by Pandemic Remain Unopened

   

  

  As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the world, places of worship in many nations have been closed to prevent the spread of the virus. While all places of worship and entertainment were initially closed in Algeria since March, governing officials decided to gradually reopen various religious centres as of August, beginning with large mosques consisting of over a thousand worshippers.

• Pastor Finally Released on Bail

  

  Pastor Keshav Raj Acharya was finally released on bail in late June after spending three months in prison. Sources state that the bail amount was exorbitant, considering the charges against him.

  Pastor Keshav was first arrested on March 23rd, after a video was uploaded to YouTube in which he allegedly stated that God could heal COVID-19 through prayer. Despite denying that he uploaded the video, Pastor Keshav was arrested after being asked to pray for a woman who had contracted the virus. He was then charged with spreading false information and misleading his followers.

• Christians Arrested for Preparing Relief Aid

  

  A pastor and seven others were assembling relief packages for the poor in their area when they were assaulted and arrested by police officers. The police falsely claimed the group had gathered for worship in numbers forbidden under COVID-19 restrictions.

• Bethel Church Pastor Arrested

   

  

  The founder of the Bethel Church near Zhangjiajie, Hunan, was formally arrested on charges of "incitement to subvert state power" on April 2nd. Just weeks prior, state security officials had raided the home of Zhao Huaiguo in the early morning of March 14th, taking him into custody.

  Although there are few details on the specifics leading to the charges, Zhao's wife, Zhang Xinghong, says the arrest was likely due to him speaking to foreign news agencies about the COVID-19 pandemic. Another probable factor was his consistent refusal to merge his church with the official Three-Self Patriotic Movement, which resulted in harassment from authorities.