Tags

Prison

• Mary Mohammadi Faces New Arrest

  

  Fatemeh (Mary) Mohammadi is a Christian blogger who has openly expressed her concerns over the human rights abuses in Iran. She was previously imprisoned for being a member of a house church. In April 2020, she received a suspended sentence, plus ten lashes for "disturbing public order" (see this report).

• Christian Prisoners Released

  

  In September and October of 2020, a total of 69 Christian prisoners were released from the Mai Serwa prison near Asmara for reasons that are unclear. According to a recent report from Church in Chains, an additional ten Christians have since been released from the same prison during the second week of January. While the names of these latest released prisoners have not been made public, it is known that some of them were held in custody for over five years. (To date, no reports have been received indicating the release of detainees from other prisons in Eritrea.)

• Release of Pastor An Yankui

  

  In VOMC's previously posted Persecution and Prayer Alert, it was reported that Pastor An Yankui had been arrested on December 30th and sentenced to 15 days in prison. (This particular report may be reviewed here.)

  Due to the nature of China's judicial system, there can be frequent uncertainty regarding the details of an arrested person's sentencing. In this case, however, we are thankful to report that Pastor An was indeed released on January 16th and joyfully greeted outside the detention centre by his family and fellow members of the Xuncheng Reformed Church.

• Church Raided and Pastor Arrested

  

  An Yankui, the pastor of Xuncheng Reformed Church in Taiyuan, was hosting a Bible study in his home on December 30th when approximately three dozen security officers barged in without warning. After restraining those who were attending the study, the officers searched the home and confiscated choir robes, hymnals and Christian books.

• Arrested Couple Released

  

  On September 21st, police in the self-declared autonomous region of Somaliland detained a Christian couple. They were described as "apostates and evangelists spreading Christianity." To view a previously published report on the arrest, go to this page.

• Family in Hiding After Verdict

  

  Marilyn and her four young children have had to flee for their lives after her husband, Asif Pervaiz, was sentenced to death for blasphemy on September 8th (read more). Typically, even the families of those accused of blasphemy are targeted with acts of violence by opposing community members. In an effort to stay safe, Marilyn and her children are now in hiding.

• Christian Couple Arrested

  

  At an October 5th news conference, police in the self-declared autonomous region of Somaliland announced that a Christian couple had been arrested for being "apostates and evangelists spreading Christianity." On September 21st, the two were taken from their home in Hargeisa where police also found Christian literature in their possession.

• Christian Acquitted of Blasphemy

  

  After spending more than six years in prison, and being sentenced to death for blasphemy, Sawan Masih was acquitted on October 5th by the Lahore High Court. He was arrested in 2013 after a neighbour accused him of calling Mohammed a false prophet during a conversation. Sawan denies the accusation, claiming that it was part of a plot to drive Christians from the community and seize their properties for industrial use.

• Additional Prisoners Released; Five Others Arrested

   

  

  Recently, we had reported that 31 Christian prisoners were unexpectedly freed from custody (read more). With thanksgiving, we are now pleased to announce the exciting news that more Christians have been conditionally released, bringing the total to 69! While many of these prisoners have spent years behind bars, none of them ever faced trial.

• Updates on Christians in Exile

  

  On October 31st of last year, Ebrahim Firouzi was gratefully released from prison. However, the court mandated that his prison term be followed by two years of internal exile, resulting in Ebrahim having to complete his sentence at a location a far distance away from his family.