Tags

Detainment / Arrest

• Pastors Detained for Organizing Religious Freedom Conferences

  

  In the early hours of October 31st, Alejandro Hernández Cepero, who serves as the pastor of an independent church in Cuba, was taken from his home by state security officers and detained. Another pastor, Luis Eugenio Maldonado Calvo, had been summoned to appear before the authorities that same day, and was subsequently also taken into custody.

• Christian Tutor Reported by Her Husband

  

  Liu Cui is a member of the Lishi Christian Church in China, which operates a co-op school group for children, despite ongoing harassment from government agencies that want to restrict the religious education of minors. On October 11th, Liu went to the school to help tutor six students from four different families.

• Street Evangelist Rearrested

  

  Chen Wensheng is a street evangelist who has gained a reputation as a "Gospel Warrior" for his evangelistic work. As a result, he has been arrested by the Chinese Communist Party numerous times. (For previous reports, see this page.) When arrested in April 2022, he saw his time in custody as an opportunity to share the Gospel with those at the detention centre. In a social media post published on WeChat, Chen wrote that he was thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to have led 2,067 people to pray to Christ during the past year.

• Christian Threatened With Prosecution for Sharing Faith

  

  On June 1st, Vladimir Burshtyn was detained because he had been sharing his Christian faith on the streets of Drogichin, Belarus. The elderly man received a $300 fine for his actions. (For further details on this incident, go to this report.) However, this was not the first time Vladimir was punished for practising his faith. He was previously fined in 2005 for leading an unregistered congregation, and again in 2008 for sharing his faith publicly.

• Church Opponent Sentenced to Three Months in Jail

  

  On February 19th, the members of the Tabernacle of David Christian Church were gathered for worship when an angry village leader, Wawan Kurniawan, stormed into the building. Pushing the pastor aside, he demanded that the service end immediately. Ten other villagers joined him, resulting in turmoil, as well as injuries to the pastor. (See this page for more details.)

• Imprisoned Church Elder Hospitalized

  

  Elder Zhang Chunlei, along with several other members of the Ren'ai Reformed Church, were arrested by authorities on March 16th, 2021 (see this page). The church elder's trial was held during November 2022; yet, in the months that have followed, his family received no news in regards to the verdict.

• More Harassment and Sentences for New Life Church

  Pastor Vyacheslav and his wife Irina Goncharenko
  Photo: New Life Church

  For several years, the New Life Church in Minsk has faced opposition from the government, including the complete destruction of their place of worship on June 20th. (For more details, click here.) That act of destruction, however, did not stop ongoing harassment from government officials.

• Pastor and Family Detained; Multiple Other Christians Arrested

  

  A pastor, his wife and their three-year-old son have been jailed in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh after holding a prayer service at their home in Haidargarh on July 30th. Pastor Harendra Singh and his wife Priya were arrested and remanded on allegations of "luring innocent people to Christianity." Because both of these parents were detained, they had to take their young son with them to prison.

• Christian Charged Under Anti-Terrorism Laws

  

  In September 2022, Imran Rehman was accused of blasphemy because of the material he posted on a WhatsApp group chat. The Pakistani believer was arrested and detained to await trial. Unfortunately, since his arrest, proposed changes to Pakistan's laws were drafted. If approved, blasphemy cases could be tried under the revised anti-terrorism laws. Even though the legislation is still only in draft form, Imran recently had terrorism charges laid against him.

• Imprisonment for Leaving Islam

  

  Over three months ago, at least ten Libyan Christians were arrested for converting from Islam to Christianity. Two other believers, one from Nigeria and one from Pakistan, have also been arrested because of their association with these Libyan converts. All twelve arrested believers are being held on charges of proselytism (considered "instigating division" by governing officials) which carry a maximum sentence of death.

• Church Members Arrested for Alleged Illegal Business Activities

  

  Four Christians from the Shingjia Church in Shunde City have been arrested on suspicion of conducting "illegal business practices." The accused believers include Pastor Deng Yanxiang and three coworkers: Zhu Longjiang, Wang Weicai and Zhu Qiaoling.

• Hundreds Flee After Blasphemy Charges

  

  Police have charged a Christian man, Haroon Shahzad, with blasphemy after he posted a Bible passage onto his Facebook page on June 29th. The passage, 1 Corinthians 10:18-21, refers to the sacrificing of food to idols, and the timing of the post coincided with the beginning of the Islamic feast of Eid al-Adha. The post was made without comment.

• Five Arrested at Family Celebration
  

  Bibha Kerketta made her vows to become a nun six months ago and came home in early June to celebrate with her family and friends in Balachhapar, a village located in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. However, as people gathered at her mother's home on June 6th, a group of Hindu militants barged into the house, accusing the Christians of conducting a healing service and insulting other religions.

• Five Detained During Raid on Christian Education Centre

  

  On May 24th, police raided the Shengjia Christian Education and Help Centre in Shunde City, which is located within the Chinese province of Guangdong. After forcibly entering the building, the authorities searched the premises and confiscated all the teaching materials. Pastor Deng was arrested, along with four of his coworkers.

• Over 100 Young Christians Arrested

  

  In mid-April, a group of 103 young Christians, some of whom are students from the Mai-Nefhi technical college, gathered in the Eritrean capital of Asmara. Their purpose was to sing songs of praise, which they recorded to share on YouTube. However, since these believers are not members of a government-approved church, their meeting was deemed illegal.

• New Arrests and Prison Releases

  

  According to a recent report, 30 Christians were arrested in mid-March while gathering for worship at a believer's house in the Eritrean city of Keren. Unfortunately, no further details are available at this time. The recently arrested followers of Jesus join more than 400 other Christians who are presently being held captive in Eritrean prisons because of their faith. For other reports and ways you can pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in this East African nation, go to our country report.

• Lawyer Visits Imprisoned Church Elder

  

  Elder Hao Ming was arrested in November 2021 because of his ministry activities with the Early Rain Qingcaodi Church, which is located in the city of Deyang. Though retired from the pastorate, he continued to be actively involved in the church as a volunteer. At the time of his arrest, Hao was detained along with several other Christian leaders. (The initially published report may be reviewed at this page.)

• Christian Evangelist Released on Bail

  

  In June 2022, Lin Xuesui was arrested by China's Public Security Bureau and accused of "organizing and financing illegal gatherings." These accusations resulted from his ministry work in a remote region located approximately 2,000 kilometres from his home, where he shared his Christian testimony with local villagers. (A previous report on Lin's arrest is available here.)

• 44 Christians Arrested; Three Others Released

  

  According to a recent report, 44 believers have been arrested from private homes in Eritrea by governing officials since the beginning of 2023. The group – consisting of 39 women and five men – are being held at the Mai Serwa prison on the outskirts of the Eritrean capital of Asmara. No further details are available at this time.
  
  In a separate case relating to three other Christian prisoners, diplomatic action from the Vatican likely played a part in their release. In mid-October, three Catholic clerics – Mihretab Stefanos, Abba Abraham Habtom Gebremariam and Bishop Abune Fikremariam Hagos – were detained, despite belonging to one of the few faith communities approved by the Eritrean government. (See this page for more details on their arrests.)

• Seventeen Months Without a Trial

  

  On August 7th, 2021, police officers arrested Pastor Wang Xiaoguang and his wife Yang Rongli, along with ten other members of the Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen, China. For Pastor Wang and Yang, this situation was not unexpected, as the ministering couple had previously served prison sentences of three and seven years respectively after being arrested in 2009. (See this page for more details on these prior arrests.)