Tags

Destruction

• Structure Used for Underground Church Demolished

  

  The meeting place of an underground Catholic church in Youtong, Hebei Province, was demolished by authorities on June 27th. According to Dong Baolu, the bishop of the church, the raid took place while he was in the hospital for a medical checkup. The timing of the government-sanctioned action was arranged by concerned church members to keep Bishop Dong from being arrested.

• Four Churches Encounter Harassment

  

  Since the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine came under the control of Russian-backed separatists in 2014, Christians in the area have faced severe restrictions from military leaders. Today, as the Russian invasion takes further control of eastern Ukraine, it is expected that similar religious constraints will expand to all areas of Russian occupation. For more information on the persecution experienced by Christians residing in eastern Ukraine, go to our list of reports.

• Inaction Against Accused Police Officer

  

  On February 5th, the thatched-roof building where Christians in Kistaram, Chhattisgarh, used to gather for worship had been burned to the ground. Investigations suggest that an opposing local police officer named Bhavesh Shinde was responsible for the crime. (To review information provided in our initial report on the attack, go to our country report.)

• 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).

• Boarding School Attacked by Jihadists

  

  For several years, Burkina Faso has faced civil unrest, particularly due to al-Qaeda and Islamic State factions. Dissatisfaction over the government's lack of response to the jihadist crisis has led to mounting tensions which ultimately brought about a military coup on January 23rd.

• Church Buildings Destroyed by Militants

  

  In two separate incidents that took place on February 5th, church buildings in India were destroyed by those opposed to Christian ministry. One of the demolished churches was a Catholic place of prayer and hospitality that is located near the city of Mangalore, Karnataka; the other was a Protestant place of worship in the village of Kistaram, Chhattisgarh. For previous reports addressing the persecution of Christians in India, go to our country report.

• Cross Removed During Church Opening

  

  The Church of the Nazarene is the only place of worship in Tibba Sultanpur, a large town located in Pakistan's Punjab province. Initially, the members of this church had been meeting in homes, but when the congregation increased in size to about 80 members, there was the need to accommodate the growth by constructing a building for corporate worship. According to Pastor Yaqoob, neighbours had been informed of the building plans in advance. Since there was no opposition to the church's plans of construction, they proceeded to erect the brick building in July.

• Church Faces Ongoing Oppression

  

  For several weeks, a small church in Suandrapara, a village of southeastern Bangladesh, has been facing threats from militant Buddhists who were attempting to coerce the Christians to return to Buddhism, even though many of the churchgoers had converted several years before. As a result of the oppression, most of the 50 members of the Bangladesh Tribal Baptist Church have been forced to stay away from their homes for fear of attack.

• Christian Leader Beaten for Protesting Church Burning

  

  The ninth church building within the past two years was set ablaze in Sudan on January 3rd, 2021. In the weeks leading up to the recent arson attack, hate messages against the Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC) in the rural Tambul area of Al Jazirah state were circulating on social media, calling for action against Christians. Pastor Jubrial Tutu describes the incident as direct persecution. According to Rev. Kuwa Shamal, head of the SCOC, the attackers "targeted the church because they do not want to see any sign of the cross in the area."

• Congregants Evicted After Nearly 20-Year Struggle

  

  In 2002, the New Life Church purchased a cowshed on the outskirts of Minsk, Belarus, for use as a church building. All government agencies approved the change of use, except for officials of the religious affairs department who repeatedly blocked the process. Harassment from this department has continued for several years.