Tags

Detainment / Arrest

• Christian Convert Sentenced to Death for Apostasy

  

  A Libyan appeals court has sentenced a young man to death for converting to Christianity, despite there being no official apostasy laws in the country. The name of the Christian convert, who came to faith in Jesus four years ago, has been withheld for his protection. Though the young believer has faced pressure to recant his belief in Jesus, he refuses to forsake his Christian faith.

• Christian Couple Detained

  

  Homayoun Zhaveh and his wife Sara Ahmadi have faced legal difficulties since June 2019 because of their faith. In November 2020, Sara was sentenced to 11 years in prison for her alleged role in leading a house church. Homayoun was sentenced to two years for his membership with the church. Upon appeal, Sara's sentence was reduced to eight years. After their case was rejected by the Supreme Court of Iran, they expected to start serving their sentences in June 2021. However, when they presented themselves to Evin Prison, they were told to return home. (More details are available here.)

• Several Christian Women Facing Charges

  

  On July 30th, six Christian women in the Maharajganj area of Uttar Pradesh, India, were taken into custody based on charges of forced conversions. The charges were laid after members of a Hindu nationalist group, the VHP, alleged that the women were inducing others to convert to Christianity during a birthday party.

• Appeal Denied for Detained Christians

  

  Anooshavan Avedian is an Iranian‑Armenian Christian leader who was arrested for promoting "propaganda contrary to and disturbing to the holy religion of Islam" through the house church he operated in his home. He was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, along with an additional ten years of "deprivation of social rights." While two Christian converts, Abbas Soori and Maryam Mohammadi, were also sentenced with the same ten‑year deprivation term, they were spared the prison time. See this report for more details.

• Wives Detained as Church Leaders Face Trials

  

  In January 2020, five Chinese Christians attended a conference in Malaysia. A year later, they were charged with "illegally crossing the national border," even though they had all the required legal travel documentation. Three of the believers were convicted and have since served their sentences. However, the trials for Pastor An Yankui and Zhang Chenghao are being delayed until further notice (read more).

• Pastor Receives One-Year Sentence

  

  Pastor Keshav Raj Acharya of the Abundant Harvest Church in Pokhara, Nepal, has faced ongoing pressure from Nepalese authorities over the past two years. Initially detained in March 2020, he was accused of spreading false information about COVID-19 after uttering a recorded statement that "God is able to heal." Eventually those charges were dropped, but the pastor was arrested twice more for allegedly trying to convert Hindus to Christianity and "outraging religious feelings." In November 2021, he was convicted but granted bail a month later while appealing the ruling (see this page).

• Christians Persecuted in Russian-Occupied Areas

  

  Several recently occurring incidents have led to charges against citizens of Russian-occupied Crimea. In a report published on July 5th, Forum 18 outlines several instances of harassment against Christians and Muslims, demonstrating the oppressive control that Russia is forcing upon people living within areas of the peninsula.

• Imprisoned Lawyer Subjected to Forced Labour

  

  Cheng Yuan was arrested in 2019 for his work as a lawyer, and for his involvement in an organization known as Changsha Funeng (read more). The purpose of the organization is to protect the rights and interests of vulnerable members of society. The arrested Christian lawyer was eventually sentenced to five years in prison. Two other members of the organization, who were convicted along with Cheng, have received sentences of two or three years.

• Four Christian Men Arrested Despite Annulled Law

  

  Four Christian men in Sudan have been arrested on charges of apostasy, even though the law was rescinded in 2020. Sources report that police have a list of five other Christian converts from Islam whom they intend to pursue with similar charges. Those five young men have since gone into hiding.

• 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.