India: Pastor and Family Face Anti-Conversion Charges
Earlier this year, a mob interrupted the Sunday worship in a small Christian church, beating the Pastor and twelve other congregants. When the police arrived, the church’s victims were charged. The pastor and his family were harassed by the officials and held without bail for three days.
Nigeria: Violence in Kaduna Continues, Hundreds Killed
Fighting has led to hundreds of deaths in Kaduna State. Governor El-Rufai reported on an attack on a Fulani village. This led to retaliatory attacks on several other communities, where Christians were killed and 100 houses burned. The only attack that the government has mentioned is the attack on the Fulani community.
Nigeria: Boko Haram Attacks Christian Village, Destroys Church
Boko Haram insurgents launched an attack on Ngurhlavu village of Lassa in Askira-Uba local council area of southern Borno State, burning down six homes, destroying a church, killing one person, and abducting two sisters.
Nigeria: Boko Haram Suicide Bombers Target Church in Madagali, Adamawa State
Boko Haram Suicide bombers tried to enter a Catholic Church service on Sunday, in Madagali, Adamawa State. The two female bombers tried to enter the church through a clinic before being stopped, and then detonating the bombs a short distance outside the church. Only one person other than the bombers was reportedly injured.
Kyrgyzstan: Christians Suffer Under Government Indifference
Several recent attacks on Christians are exposing a frightening trend of increased animosity towards believers. Police and government authorities have ignored the incidences and denied multiple allegations against their own mistreatment of the cases.
Nigeria: Fulani Militants Kill Over 20 in Nigeria with Machetes and Gunfire
Fulani militants attacked two villages in Benue State, killing 23 people. Three days after the village attacks, the militants again launched another attack in the same area. This time, three people were killed. Violence has increased in the area since the re-election of President Buhari.
China: House Church in Henan’s Capital Seized by the Government
On March 6, a house church in China’s Henan province was sealed off by local authorities for violating the country’s religious regulations. In the last year, Henan province became the hardest hit area in Beijing’s latest crackdown against Christianity, as more than 4,500 churches have their crosses forcibly removed, many brutally shut down.
Kenya: Pastor of Underground Church Beaten Unconscious
The Somali pastor of an underground church of 30 former Muslims in Kenya near the Somali border suffered a broken thigh bone and other injuries after Muslim extremists beat him with wooden clubs on Friday night.
India: Election Announced – More Anti-Christian Attacks Expected
As India announces the world’s largest democratic election, there are reports of a sharp rise in attacks against Christians – and warnings that the elections could make that worse.
Read more: Release International Voice of Persecuted Christians
Nigeria: West African Union Court Orders Government to Investigate 2016 Killings in Benue
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a union of West African states that give freed trade and open borders and security to its members, has ordered the Nigerian Government to investigate the 2016 killings in Agatu. During this series of attacks, it is estimated that 500 people were killed.
Kazakhstan: Christians Experience Crackdown by Police
Christians in Taraz, Kazakhstan are experiencing a crackdown by local police as they try to gather for worship. It started when police raided two Baptist worship meetings, fined three Christians, and issued two other warnings in the month of February alone.
China: Ambassador Brownback: China is at War with Faith
Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Hong Kong, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom Sam Brownback urged China to correct its religious policies while noting the possible sanctions available if Beijing fails to end violations of religious freedom.
International: For Persecuted Women, Violence is Compounded by ‘Shaming’
The UN has formally started to investigate IS crimes in northern Iraq and Syria, being advised to focus on “abductions, slavery and sexual violence” suffered by minority women there. Experts say Christian women are not talking about their experiences because they are still too traumatized, or perhaps because they find their treatment “too shaming” and find it hard to speak out publicly.
India: Church Continues to Meet Despite Warnings and Attack
On Sunday, a group stormed into the Church of God Gospel Center (CGGC) in India’s northern state of Chhattisgarh and began beating the churchgoers, including women and children. They were warned to stop meeting, but the following Sunday they gathered for worship.
Iraq: Increasing Challenges of Housing Christian IDPs
Christians and other religious minorities living in Iraq’s Nineveh Plains fled Islamic State militants in 2014, and although the militants were declared defeated in 2017, many have not returned home.