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On February 13th, 2017, Pastor Raymond Koh was abducted from his car by 15 masked men in the Malaysian city of Petaling Jaya. The incident, which was captured on security cameras and took only 40 seconds to unfold, appears to have been executed by professionally trained individuals. From the beginning, there were strong indications of official government involvement in the kidnapping. More than nine years have passed since the abduction with no news of the pastor's whereabouts. (For previously published reports on this situation, including video footage of the kidnapping, see this list.)

Aida Najaflou, a 44-year-old Christian convert, was arrested in February by Iranian authorities for allegedly "acting against the Islamic Republic" because of her faith in Jesus. The believer has suffered from physical ailments for years, including rheumatoid arthritis.

Amid ongoing oppression against believers in China, authorities in Shigunhe Town, Henan Province, have intensified their efforts to suppress Christian activities by targeting unregistered churches. Residents have been urged to report "privately established religious venues" and "illegal religious activities," with incentives offered for submitting evidence such as photos, videos and audio recordings. Individuals providing such information have been offered a cash reward of 500 yuan (approximately $100 CAD).

Three years ago, "Sameer" (whose name has been changed for security reasons) came to faith in Jesus after witnessing his wife's miraculous healing from a life-threatening health condition. "That day, we knew the love and power of God," he recounts, "and we gave our lives to Christ." Following their decisions, however, the new believers began to experience opposition from unapproving members of their community.

Indonesia's blasphemy law has been enforced since 1965, despite multiple unsuccessful attempts to remove the legislation. Although the country is home to the world's largest Muslim-majority population, the national government has long sought to maintain a religiously diverse society. Even so, incidents of religious intolerance and persecution have often occurred on a local level.

In April, the leadership representing Peace Church in Sumgait, Azerbaijan, submitted a formal application for registration with the government, a legal requirement for conducting worship and other religious activities within the country. However, more than five months later, the church remains in legal limbo. The state committee responsible for processing such registrations is refusing to process the application. Instead, the church has been warned that any unregistered religious activity is forbidden and will consequently result in punishment.

Several Christians were gathered on the morning of August 22nd for a Bible study at the Beijing Holy Love Fellowship church when multiple police officers suddenly entered the facility. After demanding to see the believers' identification cards, the authorities recorded the personal details of all those who were present. At the time of publishing this report, no official statement or charges have been issued by the Beijing police.

Recent developments in two Indian states have raised serious concerns for Christians, particularly in relation to the newly heightened restrictions on religious conversions. In the first incident, police in Chhattisgarh notified more than 200 house churches around the state capital city of Raipur that worship gatherings within private homes are no longer permitted.

Pastor Huang Yizi, a prominent church leader in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, was informed on July 30th that he had been formally charged with "illegal business practices" relating to the distribution of sermon recordings. The Christian leader and several other church members were initially taken into custody on June 26th. At the time, the reason for their arrests was unclear. (A previously published report about the arrests is available here.) However, following the recent announcement of formal charges, further information has now come to light.

In early July, the Maharashtra state government announced plans to introduce stringent anti-conversion legislation. The new laws, which are expected to be the most severe of their kind in the country, are particularly aimed at preventing religious conversions within tribal communities. While the stated intent is to prevent incidents of coercion, legislators have used language demonstrating a broader aim to restrict religious conversions of any sort. During the announcement, the state's revenue minister, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, declared that the law would be so strict "no one will dare to undertake religious conversion."