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2026-10-22

  • Blasphemy Allegation Sparks Mob Attack

    Photograph shows a village street with small shops, roadside vendors, and local traffic and a few pedestrians.
    A village in Pakistan.
    Photo: Wikimedia / Adeel.Ch (CC)

    An angered mob recently set fire to the home and medical clinic of a Pakistani Christian man the day after police arrested him on allegations that he had shared blasphemous content on social media. Kamran Gill, a father of three, operates a pharmacy and clinic in the village of Gharial Kalan, Punjab Province.

  • Wife of Jailed Pastor Summoned to Lengthy Prison Term

    Photograph shows Lida Alexani wearing a light green floral blouse in a warmly lit living room. Background includes flowers in a vase, framed landscape, lamp, sofa, and a faint Article18 watermark.
    Lida Alexani
    Photo: Article18

    On October 21st, 2025, five Iranian Christians were sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Among those convicted was Pastor Joseph Shahbazian, who received a 16-year sentence for leading a house church; and his wife, Lida Alexani, who had been sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment. (Review a previously posted Persecution & Prayer Alert report on these Iranian believers' initial sentences.)

  • Differing Court Verdicts for Christian Brothers

    Photograph of a large white building featuring stepped geometric façades, deep rectangular recesses, and a central entrance. Blue sky, flag, trees, landscaped grounds, roadway, and flying bird frame the structure.
    Supreme Court of Pakistan building.
    Photo: Wikipedia / Usman.org (CC)

    In 2018, two brothers were sentenced to death on allegations of blasphemy. The charges brought against these Christian men stemmed from website material that had been posted back in 2009. (The content in question was deemed offensive to Islam.) After fleeing the country, and seeking asylum elsewhere, the brothers returned in 2014 to Pakistan where they were subsequently arrested. (See further information about each of their cases.)