Tags

Detainment / Arrest

• At Least 30 Arrested at a Birthday Gathering

  

  On January 20th, 30 Christian adults, plus an unknown number of children, were arrested in Eritrea when police raided a party that was held in celebration of an infant's first birthday. The incident took place in the capital city of Asmara at the home of a Christian couple who was hosting a gathering of family and friends to celebrate the birthday of their firstborn child.

• Christian Detained on Christmas Eve

  

  Esmaeil Narimanpour* is an Iranian believer who has faced repeated detentions because of his faith in Christ. In April 2021, he was detained along with three others and tortured by the authorities. Two days later, due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, these four Christians were released on the condition that they would agree to return to custody when summoned (read more). Although they were eventually cleared of any criminal offence in November of that same year, they were ordered to take "re-education" classes about Islam.

• Pastor Arrested for Controversial Remarks

  

  Pastor Jerome Fernando is the leader of the Glorious Church in Katunayake, Sri Lanka. Along with his regular church ministry role, he also holds evangelistic meetings in various areas of the world. As a prominent religious leader, his messages are heard by many online, as well as by those attending his speaking engagements in person.

• Church Leaders Detained in Raid

  

  On the morning of November 9th, Elder Li Yingqiang – along with a few other church leaders from the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, Sichuan Province – were visiting a new church that had been established in Dazhou, which is about 400 kilometres away. There, the believers of the two churches worshipped together, held a baptismal service and shared communion. However, this special service was abruptly interrupted when police from multiple departments forcefully entered the building.

• Bible College Graduation Raided

  

  The Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China, has faced particularly harsh opposition by Chinese Communist Party officials over recent years. Despite the ongoing oppression they've encountered, members of this church remain determined in their efforts to continue reaching their community for Christ and training others of their congregation for evangelism. To read previously published reports on the various challenges experienced by this faithful fellowship of believers, see this list.

• 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.)