Steadfast Global, 23rd February 2024
Vietnam:
A Vietnamese Christian was given a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence on 26 January after being convicted of ‘secession and incitement’ for holding prayer meetings in his house. According to local media reports, Nay Y Blang (48) who is a member of the Central Highlands Evangelical Church of Christ, was denied access to legal representation during the hearing.
China:
The trial of ten Christians accused of illegal business operations in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia finally concluded on 8 January. The charges stem from the resale, at a loss, of Bibles purchased from the Three-Self Church. One of the accused, Wang Honglan, spoke in court and while admitting giving away Bibles, she denied that she had committed a crime. The prosecutor is seeking a sentence of at least 5 years for Honglan and others.
Pakistan:
Christian man, Fanson Shahid (56) has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of blasphemy on 26 January. Mr. Shahid, who is from Lahore, was arrested in March 2022 after he was accused of making derogatory remarks about the prophet of Islam on social media. His family are seeking help to lodge an appeal against the sentence.
Uganda:
The parents of four young children were murdered on 2 February in an attack believed to have been motivated by their recent conversion from Islam to Christianity. According to neighbours, Twaha Namwoyo (38) and his wife Nadiimu Katooko (27), were killed outside their home in the village of Bulalaka by a group of people who were heard talking in both Arabic and the local language.