Steadfast Global, 12th July 2024 (excerpts)
China:
Since his release from prison in March after serving a seven-year sentence, Chinese pastor, John Cao (64) has maintained a written record of his situation. On 4 June he was detained by police and held for 20 hours without a reason given. Two days later he found security officials installing a CCTV camera outside his 88-year-old mother’s home where he is currently staying. Despite being a U.S. citizen, pastor John is unable to leave Changsha city in Hunan province or access medical care because the authorities have not given him an ID card or passport.
India:
A Christian woman was brutally killed on 24 June in a dispute over ancestral land in Dantewada District, Chhattisgarh state. Bindu Sodi (32), who was the sole bread winner for her family, died from her injuries after being repeatedly struck with an axe and stones by her uncle Chetu Sodi and his son Kumma Sodi. The men claimed that she and her family had forfeited their rights to the land because they had become Christians. Both Chetu Sodi and his son were later arrested by police.
Nigeria:
The devastating loss of life across central and northern Nigeria resulting from the relentless attacks of militant Fulani herdsmen and other Muslim fundamentalists is not the only tragedy facing Christians in this nation. In a recent interview president of the Church of Christ in Nations denomination, Rev. Amos Mohzo shared that at least 70 congregations in the Mangu and Bokkos areas of Plateau state are no longer worshipping because of the attacks. Many of these Christians who fled to IDP camps remain there because of the ongoing instability.