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Detainment / Arrest

• Arrested Iranian Convert Faces Deportation

  

  When threatened with imprisonment for his faith in 2013, a Christian convert named Mojtaba Ahmadi was forced to flee from Iran. Upon his arrival in neighbouring Türkiye, he applied for refugee status. However, despite the fact that he stayed more than a decade within the country, Mojtaba had never been interviewed about his case and, therefore, did not receive official protection as a refugee.

• Prisoners Released After Years of Detention

  

  Originally from Yemen, Abdulbaqi Saeed Abdo was forced to flee to Egypt in 2014 after being subjected to violent attacks because of his conversion to Christianity. Then, in 2021, Abdulbaqi was arrested by Egyptian officials following an interview he did for a Christian television program addressing the topic of persecution in Yemen. Additionally, he was identified as a member of a Facebook group for those who had converted from Islam to Christianity. Nour Gerges, an Egyptian Coptic believer who also participated in the same Facebook group, was arrested at the same time.

• Two Pardoned Pastors Rearrested

  

  While Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh had been sentenced in 2017 to ten years' imprisonment because of his Christian ministry, he was suddenly pardoned and released in 2022. Similarly, Joseph Shahbazian, a house church leader who had likewise been sentenced to ten years in 2022, was released after just over a year following an appeal of his sentence. More information on Nasser's case is available here.

• Christian Couple Released on Bail

  

  In a Persecution & Prayer Alert report published earlier this month, it was revealed that a pastor and his wife in India had been convicted of allegedly attempting to convert Dalit villagers within their community. Pastor Jose Pappachan and his wife Sheeja were both fined and sentenced to five years in prison (see our previous report).

• Imprisoned for Distributing Christian Literature

  

  On January 17th, five Chinese Christians who had been charged with "illegal business operations" were convicted and sentenced to prison. Pastor Deng Yanxiang received a sentence of two years' imprisonment, while the other four believers were given sentences ranging from 14 to 17 months.

• Acquittal for Christian Brothers

  

  Twin brothers Sahil and Raheel (also spelled "Rahil") Shahid were arrested in August 2024 and charged with blasphemy. The young Christian men were accused of throwing scraps of paper containing Quranic verses from an amusement park ride. For more details on the original incident, go to this page.

• Ministry Couple Sentenced for Alleged Conversions

  

  On July 30th, 2024, an amendment to Uttar Pradesh's anti-conversion legislation was passed in an effort to strengthen the state's existing laws. In particular, major changes were made to the severity of punishments imposed on convicted individuals. Since the amended law was brought into effect, a pastor and his wife were found guilty on January 22nd and sentenced to five years' imprisonment. They were also fined 25,000 rupees (about $420 CAD) each.

• Pastor Arrested for Alleged Anti-State Propaganda

  

  Police in Ho Chi Minh City arrested a 71-year-old pastor named Nguyen Manh Hung on January 16th after he was accused of spreading anti-state propaganda through social media. If convicted, the Christian leader could face up to 20 years in prison.

• Large Increase in Christian Prison Sentences Last Year

  

  According to a recently published report by Article18, at least 96 Christians were sentenced to prison in Iran during 2024 for a combined total of 263 years' imprisonment. This statistic indicates a sixfold increase from the previous year, in which 22 Christians were arrested for a combined total of 43.5 years.

• Christian Leader Released from Prison

  

  In 2012, Matthias Haghnejad was among three Christian leaders who were charged with "spreading corruption on earth" and "action against national security." As a result, he was sentenced to six years in prison. In December 2014, the Christian man was thankfully acquitted of all charges. For more information on this earlier situation, visit this page.