Tags

Detainment / Arrest

• Christian Pilgrims Harassed by Hindu Nationalist Group

  

  Two busloads of Christians that had embarked on a Lenten pilgrimage tour were stopped by members of a Hindu nationalist group on March 31st and subsequently handed over to police. The incident led to the physical and verbal assault of some Christian leaders.

• Imprisoned Pastor Suffers Stroke

  

  In 2017, Pastor Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh was sentenced to ten years in prison for his Christian ministry activities. Though pardoned and released in 2022, the pastor was suddenly rearrested on February 6th of this year. (Read more.)

• Christian Man Charged for Alleged Facebook Posts

  

  On March 17th, Pakistani federal agents took 24-year-old Arsalan Gill into custody on accusations of blasphemy. The charges allege that the Christian believer was responsible for sharing blasphemous content in Facebook groups. His arrest takes place amid a rising number of cases involving entrapment, whereby organized militant groups specifically target members of the country's religious minorities.

• Imprisoned Christian Beaten for Medical Request

  

  Amir-Ali Minaei has been held in Tehran's Evin Prison since April 2024. The Christian man is presently serving a 43-month term for "propaganda activities against the regime through establishing a house church."

• Unregistered Churches Face Increasing Oppression

  

  Two recently received reports indicate the ongoing coordinated opposition that members of unregistered house churches are facing throughout China. Since the groups are considered illegal, the authorities have tried using fines and arrests, along with threats and intimidation tactics, in their attempts to shut down the organizations.

• Non-Compliant Catholic Bishop Rearrested

  

  Peter Shao Zhumin, a Catholic priest who was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as an auxiliary bishop, became the bishop of the Diocese of Wenzhou in 2016. However, over the years, Bishop Shao has stood in opposition to the dictates of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Not acknowledging its authority over the church, he refused to join the state-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. In response, the official association appointed a different bishop to replace him; however, many members of the diocese do not recognize the association's appointment.

• Three Christians Facing Lengthy Prison Sentences

  

  Three Christian converts, including a woman who is pregnant with her first child, have been sentenced to lengthy prison sentences on charges relating to their religious beliefs and worship meetings. The Iranian believers were sentenced by Judge Iman Afshari at a Revolutionary Court on March 8th.

• Arrests for Alleged Conversion Activities

  

  Multiple Christians were recently arrested by authorities in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, resulting in charges of coercive religious conversions. In each case, allegations against the Christians by Hindu nationalist groups led to sudden police raids.

• Pastor Tried for Organizing Illegal Gatherings

  

  On August 9th, 2024, a preacher named Ma Yan was arrested in the Chinese city of Yinchuan for "disrupting social order" and given a ten-day detention. Immediately following his release, Ma was arrested again for "organizing illegal gatherings." The accusations stem from a small gathering of Christians that took place in a hotel on August 9th.

• Orthodox Priest Transferred to Russian Labour Camp

  

  In May 2023, Orthodox priest Kostiantyn Maksimov was taken captive by Russian occupation forces in the Zaporizhzhia Region of eastern Ukraine. In March 2024, it was announced that he had been accused of reporting the location of Russian air defences and put on trial for espionage. On August 2nd, the church leader was found guilty and sentenced to 14 years in a forced labour camp. For more details on Father Kostiantyn's case, see these reports.