Tags

Discrimination

• Public Easter Celebrations Banned

  

  This year, Christians across Nicaragua are celebrating Holy Week under the watchful eye of police and paramilitary forces. The heightened tensions follow the decision of the Sandinista government led by Daniel Ortega and Rosaria Murillo to ban many public celebrations, including processions that are common among Latin American churches.

• 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.

• 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."

• Churches Encounter Community Opposition

  

  Churches in Indonesia frequently receive opposition from hostile community members and local leaders, particularly when they are seeking to build or utilize a worship facility. Christians in at least three separate communities are presently facing opposition for these reasons.

• Resignation of Judge Implicated in Blasphemy Entrapment

  

  On March 6th, Justice Chaudhry Abdul Aziz of the Lahore High Court unexpectedly resigned from his judicial post as a court official, effective immediately. The judge cited "personal issues" as the reason for his resignation.

• New Religion Law Takes Effect

  

  For the past several months, members of the Uzbek parliament have been deliberating over revisions to their existing religion laws. On June 26th, 2024, a draft law was published. Recently, as of February 21st, this new law officially came into effect. For more information, see this page.

• Church Pressured to Halt Christian Activities

  

  Members of the Way to the Comfort Ministry Church in Seethwaka, Sri Lanka, are receiving ongoing demands to cease all Christian activities in their village. On January 26th, Buddhist monks approached the church leadership and insisted that the pastor stop holding worship services, claiming that only Buddhist practices are permitted within the village. They further accused the pastor of forcibly converting people to Christianity and receiving foreign aid.

• Court Calls for Inquiry into Blasphemy Cases

  

  In late 2024, an investigation by the AFP news agency revealed that a startling number of Christians in Pakistan have been falsely accused of blasphemy by members of organized "vigilante groups" who intentionally deceived followers of Jesus into sharing content that was deemed blasphemous. (See this page for more details.)

• Arrested Iranian Convert Faces Deportation

  

  When threatened with imprisonment for his faith in 2013, a Christian convert named Mojtaba Ahmadi was forced to flee from Iran. Upon his arrival in neighbouring Türkiye, he applied for refugee status. However, despite the fact that he stayed more than a decade within the country, Mojtaba had never been interviewed about his case and, therefore, did not receive official protection as a refugee.