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Discrimination

• New Religious Regulations

  

  As of February 1st, a new series of regulations on religion were released by the Chinese government. Consisting of six chapters and 41 articles, the restrictions require all religious leaders and organizations to demonstrate complete devotion to the Chinese Communist Party. For years, the Chinese government has controlled and monitored religious organizations. Under President Xi Jinping, this has become much more overt. The Party has been set as the official head of all religious organizations. Religious symbols are being removed, replaced by flags and pictures of President Xi.

• Government-Recognized Church Faces Demolition

  

  The Donghu Church in Xining received official approval from authorities in 2003, and has been operating as a government-approved Three-Self Church by meeting the legal requirements. With more than 300 members, it is the oldest and largest church in the district. Yet, despite its official status, the church has still faced opposition from authorities.

• Christmastime Raid

  

  A group of women who gathered on December 26th had their worship time disrupted by a police raid. The home was searched and cell-phones were confiscated. The women were forced to give legal statements and have their photos and fingerprints taken. At last report, no fines had been levied.

  Though other faith groups have faced harassment throughout the year, this is the only known raid of Protestant Christians in 2019. Even so, the country's leaders maintain tight controls on freedom of belief, allowing only approved activities and religious literature. Any sharing of one's faith is banned and punishable. More information on the persecution of Christians in Turkmenistan is available here.

• Christians Blocked from Refugee Camps

  

  Christians who have fled war-ravaged areas of Syria are facing continued persecution while trying to seek refuge in camps set up in Jordan, Lebanon and elsewhere. A substantial number of them are being blocked by United Nations officials when attempting to enter the camps because the majority of UN officials working in these countries are Muslims. Subsequently, many of the rejected refugees are being forced to live in hiding elsewhere, risking the danger of deportation and/or possible death if found.

• Churches Reopen in Rebel-Controlled Area

  

  In September 2018, Wa rebels in the state of Shan began closing churches and arresting Christians (read more). In the process, the pro-Chinese rebels had closed more than 100 churches. In September 2019, the rebels began allowing some of these churches to reopen and, by mid-December, all but one of the 52 Baptist churches in the region had been allowed to resume ministry.

• Worship Ban in Luhansk

  

  As of 2014, the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine has been under the control of rebels. Since then, the self-declared government imposed oppressive religious restrictions. Last year, an order was made that no religious groups may hold services of any kind without registration. Subsequent to the deadline of October 2018, no Protestant church of any kind was granted registration. (See this report for more details.)

• Armed Raids and Fines in Luhansk

  

  In the self-declared Luhansk People's Republic, armed police are frequently raiding worship services, seizing literature and fining those in attendance. Along with the raids, the Luhansk State Security Ministry has announced a complete ban on the All-Ukrainian Union of Evangelical Christian/Baptist Churches, claiming that the organization has refused to submit to compulsory local registration.

• Christians Under Increased Pressure

  Christian leaders in Algeria have asked for international support following several recent incidents that threaten the human rights, and especially the religious rights, of Christians in the country, according to a February 7 report from Middle East Concern. Believers are under pressure in the following three ways: