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24 April 2026
Pakistan
A 25-year-old Christian woman is recovering from very serious injuries after being subjected to a violent sexual assault by two Muslim men on 11 April. The incident occurred after she had gone to work as a day labourer in a Punjab state citrus orchard. After the incident, she was able to identify the main attacker as her employer, Faizan Mehboob Rehmani. He was accompanied by another man who also participated in the assault. Police were slow to respond but are now investigating the attack.
Uganda
A pastor has been killed and his wife injured in a late-night attack on 9 April. Following a preaching event in a Kampala suburb, Pastor Alfred Kitenga and his wife Anna Grace, left for home in a moto-taxi driven by a man they believed to be a Christian who had attended the event. After suggesting an alternative route due to congestion, the driver drove them to a quieter area where he and three other men brutally attacked them both. Kitenga died from stab injuries. Anna Grace was later abandoned by the men near to her home. Police are investigating the incident.
India
Maharashtra State has become the latest region of India to adopt legislation designed to prevent the conversion of Hindus to other faiths. The Freedom of Religion Bill 2026, which was passed in the State Legislative Assembly on 16 March, has now passed to the state governor for his assent. Among its provisions, the law mandates penalties of up to seven-years imprisonment with fines ranging from ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh, (c £800-£4,000).
17 April 2026
Ethiopia
We ask for your prayers on behalf of ‘Joshua’ (not his real name) and his family who have been forced to move home five times in the past ten months following their conversion from Islam to Christianity. Prior to fleeing, the family was located in a strongly Islamic area of the country. Joshua’s journey to faith in the Lord Jesus is remarkable, and as a result of his experience he now has a passion to reach Muslims with the truth of the Gospel. We are discussing an appropriate support package for the family with our partners.
Pakistan
Despite some resistance, a bill to outlaw forced conversion/marriage has passed its first hurdle after being approved by a sub-committee of the Punjab People’s Assembly. The Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2026 is now expected to pass to the main Assembly for further debate/ approval. The bill, which is intended to stop underage marriage, sets the new minimum legal age for marriage to 18 years for both boys and girls. It should be noted that this is not the draft legislation we highlighted in last week’s update.
A Muslim man has been arrested and charged after threatening to kill a 20-year-old Christian girl if she refused to marry him. Rehman Irfan made the demand in a note which he handed to Laiba Javed at gunpoint on 2 April, while she was celebrating Easter with relatives in the village of Harappa, Punjab. Rehman was arrested on 5 April after a complaint was made by Laiba’s uncle, Imran Masih.
10 April 2026
Nigeria
Twelve Christians were killed and many more were abducted during Easter Sunday (5 April) raids by Fulani herdsmen in Kaduna state. The armed militants attacked the majority Christian town of Ariko, opening fire on worshippers in the Evangelical Church Winning All building and the St Augustine Catholic Church. According to witnesses, the raiders surrounded the town before launching the attack. An unknown number of villagers were abducted and led into the surrounding bush.
Pakistan
A Christian politician has introduced a bill in the Punjab Assembly which seeks to criminalise forced religious conversions. The Punjab Protection of the Rights of Religious Minorities Bill 2026 is an attempt by Falbous Christopher MPA, to protect vulnerable minority communities. Under the legislation which clearly distinguishes between forced and voluntary conversions, a person who ‘compels or attempts to compel’ another to convert through threats, coercion or undue influence, would face up to five years in prison and a fine if convicted. Before it can be tabled for debate and a vote in the provincial Assembly, the bill will be scrutinized by the Standing Committee on Minority affairs.
India
Growing opposition has caused the Indian government to pause legislation which, if passed, makes provision for the seizure by the government of foreign funds and the assets of non-government organisations deemed to have fallen foul of FCRA regulations. The Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment Bill, 2026 was expected to be placed before India’s Lok Sabha (House of the People) on 1 April.
3 April 2026
Finland
Although unanimously acquitting her of a hate speech crime for a Bible verse tweet in 2019, the Finnish Supreme Court has found Christian parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen guilty of “hate speech” for co-publishing a 2004 pamphlet in which she expressed her sincerely-held religious convictions, and allowing it to remain accessible to the public. She was fined €1800 and ordered to remove and destroy the offensive statements. Mrs. Räsänen is considering an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
Pakistan
On 25 March, a two-judge panel of Pakistan’s Federal Constitutional Court upheld the marriage of a 13-year-old Christian girl to a 30-year-old Muslim man, ruling that Maria Shahbaz was of ‘mature age’ and therefore in the lawful custody of her ‘husband’. Maria’s family maintain that she was abducted on 29 July and then forcibly converted and married to her abductor, Shehryar Ahmad. Since her abduction the family have repeatedly sought judicial intervention to rescue her, without success.
Iran
Human rights advocates are appealing for sustained prayer for Christians imprisoned in Iran and now out of contact because of the ongoing conflict. The case of Simin Soheilinia (48) has been highlighted as she was due for release prior to the commencement of hostilities, but nothing has been heard of her since the conflict started. You can read more about Simin’s case and the ongoing situation facing Christian prisoners and prisoners of conscience.
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