“Staggering” number of Christians arrested in Iran – 114 in a week
World Watch Monitor More than 100 Christians have been arrested in Iran in the past week and nearly 150 in the past month, as part of the government’s attempt to “warn” Christians against proselytising over Christmas, according to the advocacy director of religious freedom charity Article 18. Mansour Borji called the number of arrests – […]
In Algeria, Christian family charged with “inciting a Muslim to change his religion”
World Watch Monitor Four Algerian Christians appeared in court last week, charged with “inciting a Muslim to change his religion” and “performing religious worship in an unauthorised place”, reports Middle East Concern. If found guilty they face to two to five years in prison and a fine of up to one million dinars (approx. $US8,700). […]
Malaysia releases four Finnish Christians
World Watch Monitor The four Finnish nationals who were arrested in Malaysia last week for distributing Christian literature, were released and returned home on Wednesday, 28th November, The Associated Press reports. The four – two men and two women aged between 27 and 60 – were deported on Tuesday, 27th November, AP said. The group was […]
Malaysia arrests four Finnish nationals for distributing Christian literature
World Watch Monitor Four Finnish nationals were arrested by police in Malaysia on Tuesday for allegedly distributing Christian pamphlets, reports AsiaNews. The four, two men and two women aged between 27 and 60, were arrested in their hotel on Langkawi Island, a well-known tourist destination, on charges of “disturbing religious harmony”. If they are found guilty, they could […]
Four women arrested in Nepal for “attempting to forcefully convert people to Christianity”
World Watch Monitor Four Christian women were arrested earlier this week in Nepal on suspicion of attempting to convert people to Christianity by force, Asia News reports. The women – two of whom are Japanese – were accused by residents of proselytising door-to-door. They were followed and filmed, and the footage was passed on to police, […]
Christian evangelist leaves Turkey after court ruling
World Watch Monitor After 20 months in bureaucratic limbo, Canadian-American Christian David Byle was arrested on 13th October and detained overnight by security police in Ankara, the Turkish capital. His detention took place the morning after US pastor Andrew Brunson was ordered released by an Izmir court and allowed to return to the United States. David Byle was […]
Two years after India’s Supreme Court order, no investigation into “shocking” number of Kandhamal acquittals
World Watch Monitor The man spearheading the campaign for “justice” for the victims of the worst case of anti-Christian violence in India’s history has denounced the failure of the Odisha state government to follow up on a Supreme Court order to investigate why there have been so few criminal convictions despite nearly 6,500 arrests. Almost […]
Having human rights in Kazakhstan depends on state permission – report
World Watch Monitor Kazakhstan tries to make the “exercising of human rights conditional on state permission”, says the Oslo-based news service Forum 18 in a new report. “[Kazakhstan] systematically violates intertwined fundamental rights – such as the freedoms of religion or belief, of expression and of assembly” when it has international obligations to respect and defend these, […]
In India, Kandhamal Christians still waiting for justice one decade after massacre
World Watch Monitor Ten years after the worst case of anti-Christian violence in India’s history, the local community continues to struggle, with reparations from the government slow in coming and seven reportedly innocent Christians still in prison. Nearly 100 Christians were killed, 300 churches and 6,000 Christian homes were damaged, and 55,000 people were made […]
Nepali law criminalising “hurting of religious feelings” comes into force
World Watch Monitor A law criminalising religious conversions and the hurting of religious feelings comes into force in Nepal on Friday, a year after the bill was passed. As World Watch Monitor reported last year, Nepal’s Christian minority fears the new law will be abused by those seeking to settle scores – as has happened frequently […]