Sisters' Stories

Women

• Christian Beaten and Arrested

  

  A Christian man named Hassan and his widowed mother, who were both living in Ngong, located on the outskirts of Nairobi, have been facing constant pressure to recant their Christian faith and return to Islam. Pressure has included threats, bribes and beatings on several occasions. On January 19th, Hassan was arrested. The police officers, along with two others, then severely beat him -- knocking out teeth and causing leg, chest and back injuries.

• Asia Bibi Freed; Pervaiz Masih Acquitted

  

  In a much-anticipated decision, Pakistan's top court has rejected a challenge to the acquittal of a Christian woman on blasphemy charges. The ruling is the final legal option, allowing Asia Bibi to freely leave the country.

  Originally convicted in 2010 after accusations of insulting Mohammed, Asia spent eight years on death row. The case has polarized the country, and government leaders who provided their support have been killed. The Supreme Court threw out all charges against the accused believer on October 31st, at which time she was taken into protective custody due to threats against her life. Although a final appeal was filed, the Supreme Court ruled on January 29th that the petitioners gave no evidence that the original acquittal was wrong. In fact, the Chief Justice stated that, if the case had not been so sensitive, her accusers would be guilty of perjury and should be jailed for life.

• Christian Couple Arrested

  

  Amir Taleipour and his wife Mahnaz Harati were at their home in Mashhad with their seven-year-old daughter on December 6th when several intelligence agents entered. At last report, the couple were still being held in detention and not allowed to communicate with family members. They have also been denied legal assistance. In the meantime, their daughter is being cared for by extended family.

• Over A Hundred Arrested

  

  On the evening of December 9th, police in Chengdu, Sichuan, began a coordinated attack on members of the Early Rain Covenant Church. Throughout the night and the next day, homes were raided and church members dragged away. Thus far, around a hundred church leaders and seminary students have been arrested. Some who have since been released claim that they were abused and deprived of food and water while in custody.

• Aid Worker Killed; Leah "Slave for Life"

  

  "Islamic State West Africa Province" (ISWAP), the Boko Haram faction currently holding 15-year-old Leah Sharibu, has released a statement claiming to have executed a second Red Cross aid worker during the past month. In the statement, the group claimed that Hauwa Leman, along with Saifura Ahmed (who was killed in September), were apostates because they joined the Red Cross.

• Audio Recording from Leah

  

  As speculation abounds regarding the fate of Leah Sharibu, an audio recording of her voice, along with a still photo, has surfaced in which she calls for the government to intervene. Family members have confirmed that it is, in fact, her voice.

  In the recording, Leah says:

  "I am Leah Sharibu, the girl that was abducted in GGSS Dapchi. I am calling on the government and people of goodwill to intervene to get me out of my current situation. I also plead to the members of the public to help my mother, my father, my younger brother and relatives. Kindly help me out of my predicament. I am begging you to treat me with compassion. I am calling on the government, particularly, the president to pity me and get me out of this serious situation. Thank you." (The actual recording is available here.)

• 35 Prisoners Released!

  

  In a surprising move, 35 prisoners of faith were released on bail from the Mai-Sirwa prison on July 17th and 18th, after serving more than four years. The 11 women and 24 men, all members of unregistered Christian churches, were mostly young people not in leadership positions. Although all of them had signed a statement four and a half years ago, promising to no longer attend meetings at unregistered churches, officials continued to hold them in detention without cause.

• Christians Assaulted and Threatened

  

  In two separate instances during the month of June, pastors and other Christians in Sri Lanka faced threats and intimidation from other villagers. One of those cases resulted in the injury of two women.

  On June 9th, the pastor of the Jesus Christ Testimony Church in Commanthurai was travelling with his wife to visit some congregants when they were stopped by a man who warned the pastor to not build a church as planned. The man claimed that he and others had recently burned down another church and would do the same if the prospective building was constructed. The pastor later received a phone call, reiterating the threat.

• Students Deported for Worship Videos

  

  Churches in the Nizhny Novgorod Region of Russia have been facing increasing pressure from law enforcement officials in recent months. According to Forum 18, this pressure includes the use of "anti-missionary" legislation and immigration law. The result has been punishment for churches and their members for things such as inviting foreign students to parties and posting worship videos on social media.

• Christian Family Remains in Their Village

  

  A young Christian couple with a toddler son have chosen to stay in their village despite facing persecution, which has caused many other villagers to abandon the Christian faith they once professed. Local authorities destroyed the couple's home in an attempt to drive them out. Instead of leaving, however, these steadfast believers gathered what was left of their home and built a small hut. Church leaders from neighbouring villages came to stay with the couple as a sign of support.