Tags

Prison

• Ebrahim Firouzi Facing Additional Charges

  

  Iranian convert Ebrahim Firouzi has spent years in prison for his faith. After being released from prison in October 2020, he began serving his two-year exile in another part of the country. For further information on Ebrahim's case, go to this report. A more recently produced video interview, in which Dr. Hormoz Shariat references Ebrahim, can be viewed here.

  In early February, Ebrahim released a series of six videos detailing the persecution he was facing while in exile. Even his brother, who is not a Christian, was experiencing harassment because of Ebrahim's faith. As a result of these videos, Ebrahim was charged on February 8th with "propaganda against the Islamic Republic in favour of hostile groups" and moved to Chabahar Prison.

• Imprisoned Pastor's Family Facing Harassment

  

  Earlier in 2020, it was reported that Sithong Theppavong, the pastor of a small church in a farming area of Savannakhet Province, received repeated warnings to cease his ministry. On March 15th, 2020, he was arrested without any indication of charges. For more details on his arrest, visit VOMC's previously posted report.

• Five-Year Sentence for Sharing Cartoon

  

  When posts are viewed on social media, few people think about the legal consequences of sharing them. In 2018, Hamid (surname withheld for security reasons) shared a cartoon he had received on Facebook and thought nothing more of it. He was contacted by police about it at the time, but the case was dropped — until officials showed up at his door three years later. By the next day, the 43-year-old poultry farmer had been sentenced to five years' imprisonment for allegedly insulting Muhammad.

• Prisoner Transferred for ''Concentrated Education''

  

  Pastor Zhang Shaojie had been the leader of the Nanle County Christian Church in Henan. In July 2014, he was sentenced to twelve years in prison for alleged fraud and disrupting social order (read more). At the time, his family was forced to flee the country, arriving in the United States through the assistance of VOMC partner, ChinaAid.

• Mary Mohammadi Faces New Arrest

  

  Fatemeh (Mary) Mohammadi is a Christian blogger who has openly expressed her concerns over the human rights abuses in Iran. She was previously imprisoned for being a member of a house church. In April 2020, she received a suspended sentence, plus ten lashes for "disturbing public order" (see this report).

• Christian Prisoners Released

  

  In September and October of 2020, a total of 69 Christian prisoners were released from the Mai Serwa prison near Asmara for reasons that are unclear. According to a recent report from Church in Chains, an additional ten Christians have since been released from the same prison during the second week of January. While the names of these latest released prisoners have not been made public, it is known that some of them were held in custody for over five years. (To date, no reports have been received indicating the release of detainees from other prisons in Eritrea.)

• Release of Pastor An Yankui

  

  In VOMC's previously posted Persecution and Prayer Alert, it was reported that Pastor An Yankui had been arrested on December 30th and sentenced to 15 days in prison. (This particular report may be reviewed here.)

  Due to the nature of China's judicial system, there can be frequent uncertainty regarding the details of an arrested person's sentencing. In this case, however, we are thankful to report that Pastor An was indeed released on January 16th and joyfully greeted outside the detention centre by his family and fellow members of the Xuncheng Reformed Church.

• Church Raided and Pastor Arrested

  

  An Yankui, the pastor of Xuncheng Reformed Church in Taiyuan, was hosting a Bible study in his home on December 30th when approximately three dozen security officers barged in without warning. After restraining those who were attending the study, the officers searched the home and confiscated choir robes, hymnals and Christian books.

• Arrested Couple Released

  

  On September 21st, police in the self-declared autonomous region of Somaliland detained a Christian couple. They were described as "apostates and evangelists spreading Christianity." To view a previously published report on the arrest, go to this page.

• Family in Hiding After Verdict

  

  Marilyn and her four young children have had to flee for their lives after her husband, Asif Pervaiz, was sentenced to death for blasphemy on September 8th (read more). Typically, even the families of those accused of blasphemy are targeted with acts of violence by opposing community members. In an effort to stay safe, Marilyn and her children are now in hiding.