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Prison

• Pastor Sentenced to Prison for Evangelism

  

  Pastor Keshav Raj Acharya of the Abundant Harvest Church in Pokhara, Nepal, was initially arrested and detained in March 2020 after a video was released in which he allegedly claimed that the COVID-19 virus could be healed through prayer. The pastor denies ever uploading the video. He was initially released on bail but then re-arrested and charged with "outraging religious feelings" and "attempting to convert." Pastor Keshav was detained in a remote area of the country with restricted access to transportation.

• Christian Prisoner Acquitted

  

  Blasphemy accusations have been used as weapons against Christians in Pakistan for many years. The world's attention was most recently drawn to this situation through the case of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was accused in 2009 and sentenced to death. After finally being acquitted and released ten years later, Asia was forced to secretly flee the country.

• Church in Exile Faces Repatriation

  

  After enduring years of persecution in China, most members of the Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church, led by Pastor Pan Yongguang, fled the country in 2019 and sought refuge on JeJu Island in South Korea. These 60 Christians (consisting of 28 adults and 32 children) have been supporting themselves by doing menial labour during the asylum process. Human rights advocates have dubbed this group of believers as the "Mayflower Church" for their similarity to the pilgrims who fled England in 1620 due to persecution.

• Sentence Appeal Meets Ongoing Delays

  

  Pakistani pastor, Zafar Bhatti, has been in prison since July 2012 after being charged with allegedly sending blasphemous text messages. Five years later, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for blasphemy – a charge based on allegations he continues to deny. In June of this year, an appeals court upheld the pastor's sentence, despite conflicting evidence. For more information on the circumstances surrounding his case, go to this page.

• Prisoner Located and Since Released on Bail

  

  In the Persecution & Prayer Alert that VOMC published on September 30th, it was reported that three Christians had been arrested while attending a prayer meeting in Rasht, Iran, on September 5th. The report had mentioned that two of the believers were released on bail, but family members were unable to locate Ayoub Poor-Rezazade. See this report for more details.

• 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.

• 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."

• Ministry Partner Arrested

  

  Ivan and his wife Maria lead a ministry training centre in Belarus. On July 9th, Maria was suddenly arrested after government agents travelling in black vans arrived at their home and took her away. At last report, no formal charges have been laid, and her husband and children do not know her location.