Tags

Detainment / Arrest

• No New Churches Allowed

  

  In late May, Protestant church leaders in Tajikistan were summoned to a meeting with Sulaymon Davlatzoda, the chair of the State Committee for Religious Affairs and Regulation of Traditions, Ceremonies and Rituals. During the meeting, they were informed that the government would no longer be registering any new churches. "We will keep the figure of registered churches unchanged from now on," Sulaymon told them. He further went on to remind the church leaders that there are to be no religious activities for those under 18 years of age, including their participation in any religious camps.

• Two Church Leaders Arrested

  

  Two church leaders, who were arrested during a Bible class on June 14th in the city of Omdurman, are presently facing charges of public nuisance. After being detained by police for four hours, Pastor Kabashi Idris and evangelist Yacoub Ishakh were released on bail.

• Health Concerns for Christian Prisoner

  

  In 2017, Naser Navard Gol-Tapeh was sentenced to ten years in prison for allegedly "acting against national security through the formation and establishment of an illegal church organization in his home." The arrest came after 30 police officers raided an engagement party he attended in June 2016. The authorities considered Naser the leader of the Christian gathering. For more details, go to this page.

• Pastoral Couple Arrested Due to ''Forcible Conversion'' Allegations

  

  Karnataka became the latest Indian state to officially pass anti-conversion legislation after the state's governor signed the law into effect on May 17th. On that same day, members of the Hindu nationalist group Bajrang Dal filed a complaint against Pastor V. Kuriyachan and his wife Selenamma, alleging that they have illegally converted more than 1,000 Hindus from the Yerava tribal community by visiting the area's coffee plantations.

• Sentences for Detained Christians

  

  An Iranian-Armenian Christian leader has been sentenced to ten years in prison for promoting "propaganda contrary to and disturbing to the holy religion of Islam" through the house church he operated in his home. The 60-year-old believer, Anooshavan Avedian, was arrested in August 2020 and released on bail a month later, along with two converts to Christianity.

• Threats in the Midst of Renewed Church Growth

  

  Once an active centre of Christianity during the days of the early church, Libya is now known as an epicentre of persecution that's so extreme, there are few believers today remaining in the country. According to some reports, however, the number of Christ-followers is again starting to grow, despite increasing opposition from governmental leaders and families. For more information, go to our country report.

• Pastor Tortured in Police Custody

  

  On April 16th, a Christian pastor was arrested in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh under false charges of conversion activities. The pastor and his family were visiting relatives in the village of Anamouh Anam and, as part of their visit, they all joined together in a time of singing praises to God and prayer. However, police were notified of the gathering by a neighbour who overheard the Christians' voices.

• Christians Arrested During Prayer Meeting

  

  In mid-March, 29 evangelical Christians were arrested when Eritrean security forces raided a home prayer meeting in Asmara. According to reports, 17 women and 12 men were taken to the Mai Serwa prison camp on the outskirts of the capital city.

• Blasphemy Charges for Alleged Facebook Post

  

  Fansan Shahid, a 54-year-old Christian from Gujranwala in Punjab Province, is in federal custody with charges predicated on a blasphemous comment he allegedly made in a Facebook post during 2019. Fansan was arrested just after midnight on March 16th when more than a dozen police officers stormed into his house and began beating him before taking him into custody.

• Christian Teachers Formally Charged; Others Released

  

  In August 2021, four house church leaders were arrested for allegedly carrying out "illegal business operations." The charges relate to their work at the Jordan River Learning Center, a house church school affiliated with the Mount Carmel Church in Wuhu, Anhui State. At the time, six other teachers at the school were arrested but then released on bail.

• 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).

• Church Leaders Arrested

  

  The Early Rain Qingcaodi Church, a church plant previously established by the Early Rain Covenant Church (ERCC), is located in the city of Deyang, which is part of the Chinese province of Sichuan. Shortly after the police initially raided the ERCC in December 2018 (for more details on this incident, see this report), they also broke into the Qingcaodi church, expelling the Christians and posting a notice on the gate of the building in their efforts to ban the believers from meeting. In March 2021, the Sichuan Provincial Department of Civil Affairs published a list of illegal organizations, including both the ERCC and the Qingcaodi church.

• Pastor Arrested After Large Protest

  

  A protest led by Hindu militants against alleged religious conversions resulted in a standoff with police and charges against a Christian pastor. On Sunday, October 17th, activists belonging to two Hindu nationalist organizations, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal, forced their way into a small church in Hubballi, a city located in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. A video of the incident shows dozens of protesters sitting inside the Bairidevarkoppa Church singing Hindu devotional songs.

• Pastors Charged Due to Anti-Conversion Laws

  

  Seven pastors were arrested on October 10th in the Mau district of Uttar Pradesh, India. They were accused of violating the state's anti-conversion legislation, and subsequently charged with "illegal assembly."

• Two Arrests Relating to Case of Slain Pastor

  

  Two men in eastern Uganda have been charged after the September 12th murder of an evangelist, Pastor Barnabas Musana. According to another pastor from a nearby village, some of the militant Muslims in the area were upset because Pastor Barnabas had been holding evangelistic events and public debates about Christianity and Islam. In February 2020, he had been whisked away by church members after boldly stating that Jesus was the Son of God, and thus greater than Muhammad.

• Fifteen Christians Rearrested

  

  Eritrean authorities recently arrested 15 Christians during a series of raids on their houses in the capital city of Asmara. All 15 believers had been previously imprisoned for their faith – some for up to 16 years.

• Christian High School Raided

  

  On the morning of September 4th, the Maizi Christian Music High School in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, was raided by police, religious affairs officials and local school district administrators. All staff and students present were arrested.

• Raid on Home Church Gathering

  

  On the morning of Sunday, August 22nd, police raided a gathering of members from the Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church as they met for worship. According to the police officers, someone reported that an illegal assembly was taking place at the location. When the officers tried to enter the room, the home church group leader, Preacher Dai, asked to see a search warrant. However, the officers refused and demanded identification from everyone present.

• Three Elderly Pastors Arrested

  

  Three semi-retired pastors in the Eritrean capital of Asmara were arrested towards the latter part of July. Since they were all over 70 years old, and only occasionally conducted funeral or wedding services, it is unclear why these elderly Christian men had been targeted for arrest.

• Church Leader Formally Arrested

  

  On July 20th, the Wenshui County procuratorate approved the arrest of Zhao Weikai, a leader of the Xuncheng Reformed Church in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. The Public Security Bureau also issued an arrest notice for his wife, Li Xin. Brother Zhao has been charged with "illegal holding of materials promoting terrorism and extremism."