Tags

Detainment / Arrest

• Pastor Arrested After Large Protest

  

  A protest led by Hindu militants against alleged religious conversions resulted in a standoff with police and charges against a Christian pastor. On Sunday, October 17th, activists belonging to two Hindu nationalist organizations, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal, forced their way into a small church in Hubballi, a city located in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. A video of the incident shows dozens of protesters sitting inside the Bairidevarkoppa Church singing Hindu devotional songs.

• Pastors Charged Due to Anti-Conversion Laws

  

  Seven pastors were arrested on October 10th in the Mau district of Uttar Pradesh, India. They were accused of violating the state's anti-conversion legislation, and subsequently charged with "illegal assembly."

• Two Arrests Relating to Case of Slain Pastor

  

  Two men in eastern Uganda have been charged after the September 12th murder of an evangelist, Pastor Barnabas Musana. According to another pastor from a nearby village, some of the militant Muslims in the area were upset because Pastor Barnabas had been holding evangelistic events and public debates about Christianity and Islam. In February 2020, he had been whisked away by church members after boldly stating that Jesus was the Son of God, and thus greater than Muhammad.

• Fifteen Christians Rearrested

  

  Eritrean authorities recently arrested 15 Christians during a series of raids on their houses in the capital city of Asmara. All 15 believers had been previously imprisoned for their faith – some for up to 16 years.

• Christian High School Raided

  

  On the morning of September 4th, the Maizi Christian Music High School in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, was raided by police, religious affairs officials and local school district administrators. All staff and students present were arrested.

• Raid on Home Church Gathering

  

  On the morning of Sunday, August 22nd, police raided a gathering of members from the Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church as they met for worship. According to the police officers, someone reported that an illegal assembly was taking place at the location. When the officers tried to enter the room, the home church group leader, Preacher Dai, asked to see a search warrant. However, the officers refused and demanded identification from everyone present.

• Three Elderly Pastors Arrested

  

  Three semi-retired pastors in the Eritrean capital of Asmara were arrested towards the latter part of July. Since they were all over 70 years old, and only occasionally conducted funeral or wedding services, it is unclear why these elderly Christian men had been targeted for arrest.

• Church Leader Formally Arrested

  

  On July 20th, the Wenshui County procuratorate approved the arrest of Zhao Weikai, a leader of the Xuncheng Reformed Church in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. The Public Security Bureau also issued an arrest notice for his wife, Li Xin. Brother Zhao has been charged with "illegal holding of materials promoting terrorism and extremism."

• 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.

• Detained Pastor Confirmed Alive and Released

  

  On March 15th, 2020, Pastor Sithong Theppavong was approached by authorities who demanded that he agree to no longer hold worship services at a small church in Savannakhet Province, Laos (see this report). When Pastor Sithong refused, he was arrested without charge. Earlier this spring, those familiar with his situation were concerned that he was no longer alive since there had been no news of his whereabouts. (To read this previously posted report, visit this page.)