Tags

harrassment

• Religious Worshippers Monitored and Fined

  

  Since the beginning of 2021, at least 20 cases have gone to court in Kazakhstan for holding religious meetings without state permission. The fines brought against them varied from three weeks' to four months' average wages. Amendments are also presently in the works to further tighten certain religious restrictions in the country.

• Young Victim’s Funeral Raided by Perpetrators

  

  On July 27th, Celina Ishaku's son was murdered by Fulani militants, the same group that had killed her husband two years earlier. The next day, friends and family gathered to bury the boy. Rather than allow those at the funeral to grieve in peace, however, the assailants attacked the community once again, raiding the service and shooting at the mourners. Along with the destruction of ten homes and multiple farms, three youths were killed in the ambush.

• Preacher's Family Locked in Their Home

  

  Members of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Sichuan, China, continue to face harassment as authorities attempt to shut down their unregistered church. While the head pastor, Wang Yi, is serving a nine-year prison sentence, other members of the church have also encountered consistent persecution.

• Raids Against Banned Churches

  

  In May 2019, local authorities informed the Xunsiding Church in Xiamen, China, that they intended to officially close it down. Church members were threatened with the loss of their jobs unless they complied and, on May 19th, dozens of officers, including those of SWAT teams, raided the church service. In the following days, officers remained on site to ensure no one re-entered the facility (see this report for further details).

• Churches Face Threats and Questioning

  

  Churches in Sri Lanka have frequently faced harassment from community members, Buddhist religious leaders and civil authorities. To read previously published reports on some of these cases, go to our country report. The following three incidents that occurred in mid-March demonstrate some of the challenges regularly experienced by Christians.

• Persecution Sanctioned by Authorities

  

  Persecution in India comes from many sources. Religious disagreements among family or neighbours can escalate to violence, or Hindu leaders may openly oppose the spread of the Gospel in a community. While such incidents may be reported to the police, legal assistance does not always result. In many instances, police may even join in the harassment of Christians.

• Advocate in America Faces Death Threats

   

  

  Bob Fu (Fu Xiqiu), the founder and president of ChinaAid, is a ministry partner with The Voice of the Martyrs. In addition to providing support for Christians in China, the organization he established in 2002 highlights human rights abuses in the country.

• Harassment Against Unregistered Churches

  

  Leaders of the unrecognized Luhansk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine have continued a campaign against unregistered church communities. The pro-Russian leaders of this breakaway region insist on registration for all religious organizations. However, of the 195 organizations registered in 2019, 188 were Russian Orthodox. The remaining seven are either Muslim, Old Believer, Jewish or Catholic. No Protestant churches have been allowed to register.

• Christians Under Increased Pressure

  Christian leaders in Algeria have asked for international support following several recent incidents that threaten the human rights, and especially the religious rights, of Christians in the country, according to a February 7 report from Middle East Concern. Believers are under pressure in the following three ways: