Christian organisations galvanised believers across the UK and elsewhere to pray for persecuted believers around the world. In November last year, the Evangelical Alliance, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Open Doors and Release International mobilised people for the 24th International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP), as reports of rising persecution showed Christians were…
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Lawmakers in Russia are proposing a bill to restrict foreign-trained pastors from preaching. Commentators warn it could deal a ‘powerful blow’ to religious freedom in the country. In September, the bill on freedom of conscience and religious association amending federal law was expected to be passed by the State Duma. The original date of…
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Two pastors in Kazakhstan have appealed directly to the country’s president asking him to stop local authorities seizing the land on which their churches stand. City authorities in the capital Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana) have ordered the confiscation of the Grace Presbyterian Church building and the Agape Pentecostal Church building, which was under construction on…
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India’s Christian communities have reported an alarming escalation of persecution while the country has been in Covid-19 lockdown. According to a 33-page report by the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), there were more than 135 confirmed attacks against Christians in the first half of 2020, including a lynching. The report, Hatred and Violence Against…
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Chilean pastors who were wrongfully arrested for holding worship services during the Covid-19 crisis have won their case setting a precedent for religious freedom. A court recently ruled that the arrest was unconstitutional and based on an illegal administrative act. They were arrested for allegedly violating Covid-19 health measures which prohibited religious activities. ADF…
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Christian advocacy group China Aid has warned that the communist state has increased crackdowns on Christians under the guise of breaking up illegal meetings under Covid-19 lockdown measures. Individuals’ homes have been raided by armed police, with Christian emblems removed from their own homes, while churches have continued to see their crosses removed by…
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The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has denounced the execution of five aid workers on 19 July in northeast Nigeria. The murder was carried out by the ‘Islamic State in West Africa Province’ (ISWAP), a Boko Haram faction. ISWAP militants claimed responsibility for the killings of these workers they had abducted…
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