Open Doors, 29 June 2018

The persecution of Rutilio began in 2008, when he met Jesus through a group of missionaries.

Although Colombian law promotes religious freedom, Christianity is penalised in many indigenous communities since it is seen as an attack on the ancestral and shamanic principles that govern these communities. 

Rutilio was forced to attend a trial where they tried to make him renounce his faith. After he refused to do so, he was made to do forced labour for the entire community.

Rutilio still lives in that indigenous community, continues to resist persecution, and is an example of peace and God’s love.  He has now won the respect of his community and leads a group of faithful indigenous Christians, resisting those who see Christ as a threat. 

CSW

When we look at the horrific situation in North Korea it can be hard to retain our optimism despite Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump’s planned meeting this month. The UN describes the human rights situation as ‘without parallel in the contemporary world’. At least 100,000 people are held in prison camps, regularly experiencing slave labour and torture. 

There is no open expression of religious faith, and if you’re caught with a Bible you could face execution, or a life sentence in a prison camp. Oppression and tyranny are a regular feature of daily life. 

So it’s our prayer that President Trump will raise these violations when the leaders meet; and that it will be clear that if there is ever peace in Korea, it will only be when the prison camps are closed, and when human dignity and freedom are respected.

Morning Star News, May 21, 2018

Christians in Nepal are alarmed after this month’s sudden series of arson and bomb attacks on four church buildings. 

Christian leaders in Nepal suspect a coordinated campaign by Hindu extremists.

Police have not made any arrests.  One church leader suspects officials have told police “to not carry out arrests in these cases”.  Another leader said it was obvious that these attacks “are performed by people who are in a network and are well connected to each other.”

Recently a social media movement against Christians “has gathered a lot of support from the Nepali masses.  Attacks … are well-planned and coordinated against the Christian community … the government is doing nothing about this.”

Christian leaders share the view that the rise in attacks against Christians is influenced by the recent rise of anti-Christian policies and hostilities in India.

At the same time, six Christians were arrested for evangelizing.  Evangelizing is prohibited under Nepal’s new constitution which establishes Nepal as a secular and democratic republic.  The constitution seems to protect Hinduism over and against other faiths however.

June 5, 2018 By World Watch Monitor

A Christian pastor and three members of his family have been kidnapped in Burkina Faso’s north-eastern province of Soum, two weeks after the kidnapping of another Christian leader and his wife.

The circumstances of the kidnapping are not yet known, but Islamist militants are known to be active in the region.

The kidnapping of the two Christian clerics have created an atmosphere of anxiety among Christian communities in the land-locked Sahel nation, seen as a model of tolerance in a troubled region.

The country’s 20 million inhabitants have long enjoyed peaceful co-existence.

Until recently, attacks carried out by Islamist militants only targeted military personnel and civil servants in the region, leaving civilians generally untroubled.

CSW, 10 May 2018

A group of Catholic nuns peacefully protesting construction on land belonging to their congregation were physically assaulted on 9 May by unknown assailants.

Nuns of the Sisters of St Paul in Hanoi marched to the Hoan Kiem District People’s Committee Office and the Tran Hung Dao Ward Office on 8 May, carrying banners demanding that the authorities order a halt to the construction.

A group of unknown ‘thugs’ insulted and beat the nuns with batons as they tried to peacefully protest. Police nearby did not intervene. Numerous reports indicate that unknown assailants or ‘hired thugs’ are commonly used by police and authorities in Vietnam to intimidate, harass and assault religious communities.

After the assault, the nuns petitioned the authorities to intervene, but their request was not taken up.

CSW, 9 May 2018

Ten-year sentences handed down to Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, Mohammadreza Omidi, Yasser Mossayebzadeh and Saheb Fadaie in July 2017 have recently been upheld on appeal.

The four were arrested in May 2016 during raids by security agents on Christian homes and their church accused of receiving money from the British government.

In July 2017, they were found guilty of ‘acting against national security’ by ‘promoting Zionist Christianity’, and sentenced to ten years in prison.  The pastor and Mr Omidi received additional two-year sentences. 

Mr Mossayebzadeh, Mr Fadaie and Mr Omidi are also awaiting the outcome of their appeal against a sentence of 80 lashes each, following their conviction for drinking wine during a communion service.

CSW, 10 May 2018

The Odisha High Court has awarded enhanced compensation to 14 Christians who were victims of targeted attacks in Kandhamal in 2008.

Human rights lawyer Tehmina Arora stated that this outcome reflected the judiciary’s commitment to protecting the right to freedom of religion in the country.

In 2008, the Christian community in Kandhamal was attacked by hard-line Hindu nationalists. Over 90 people were killed, at least 54,000 displaced and over 300 churches destroyed. According to local sources, although over 3,300 complaints were made to the police, only 727 cases went to trial in fast-track courts, where 88.6% of the accused were acquitted.

Religion News Service, Thursday, April 26, 2018

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has cited more than two dozen countries as main contributors to an “ongoing downward trend” in religious liberty worldwide.

“Sadly, religious freedom conditions deteriorated in many countries in 2017,” said the independent watchdog in its 2018 report.

Examples of severe abuses in 28 countries include Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar; Tibetan Buddhists; Uighur Muslims; Falun Gong practitioners in China; Christians, Yazidis and Shiite Muslims under ISIS; and Russia’s harsh treatment of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims and Scientologists.

 “Entities of particular concern”, considered severe religious freedom violators, include ISIS in Iraq and Syria; Taliban in Afghanistan; and al-Shabab in Somalia.

Morning Star News | Thursday, April 26, 2018

Still shocked over a deadly attack on a Catholic congregation on April 24, Christians in Nigeria’s Benue state yesterday suffered another onslaught by Muslim Fulani herdsmen that reportedly left at least 39 people dead.

More than 160 houses were reported to have been set ablaze in heavily armed attacks.  Dozens of Christians were wounded, and at this writing the total number of those killed was not confirmed.

 A resident told how the herdsmen who invaded her community were dressed in military camouflage and armed with AK-47 weapons.

 Christians in Nigeria held a nationwide protest on Sunday, April 29, against attacks on Christian communities.

Barnabas Fund, 26 April 2018

Military authorities reportedly blocked a rescue plea as religious and community leaders raise concerns about the safety and survival of Kachin Christians trapped in a jungle region of Myanmar (Burma).

Over 2000 displaced Kachin people, including the elderly, infirm and pregnant women, have been trapped in the remote “Gold and Amber” region of the conflict-stricken Kachin State since 11 April.

Local news sources report that heavy fighting between Myanmar’s military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has led to thousands of people fleeing their homes as a decades-long, bitter civil war continues.

Christian and community leaders met government officials and a military commander to plead for humanitarian assistance and a rescue for the trapped civilians. However, at the time of reporting, the military has blocked any rescue efforts.