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In parts of rural Oaxaca State and other regions of southern Mexico, the dominant religion is a syncretism of Roman Catholicism and traditional indigenous beliefs. The resulting ritual-based belief system is a significant part of community life in many villages.

In recent months, Nicaragua's dictatorial government led by President Daniel Ortega has arbitrarily detained or deported Christians and shut down numerous non-profit organizations. (Read about some of the recent challenges.)On July 17th, 2025, Pastor Rudy Palacios Vargas was among a group of Christians detained by police. No arrest warrants or charges were issued, and family members had not received any information on the believers' whereabouts for six months. Tragically, one of Pastor Rudy's detained companions, Mauricio Alonso Petri, died while in custody.

The Chinese government's ongoing campaign against unregistered church networks has resulted in the recent arrests of seven additional members of the Early Rain Covenant Church on January 6th. Those detained include Pastor Dai Zhichao, Elder Li Yingqiang and his wife Zhang Xinyue, Deacon Jia Xuewei, along with three other church members: Ye Fenghua, Liang Zhongyuan and Brother Lin (whose full name is being withheld for security reasons).

More than a hundred Christians were among groups of prisoners released from Eritrean detention centres during the months of November and December in 2025. Despite many of them having spent years in captivity under harsh and arbitrary conditions, none of the recently freed individuals had ever been formally charged with a crime.

In recent months, the Chinese Communist Party has intensified its campaign against some of China's largest unregistered church networks. This crackdown follows years of pressure on congregations such as those belonging to the Early Rain Covenant Church, which has faced major oppression since December 2018. In October 2025, authorities also launched coordinated raids on multiple campuses of the Zion Church network, arresting several church leaders. More recently, similar actions have targeted the Yayang Christian Church and its affiliated congregations.

A 60-year-old pastor and his son, along with seven other Christians, have been arrested on allegations of conducting coerced conversions. The arrests took place after members of the militant nationalist group, Bajrang Dal, staged a protest outside a church building in the Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

Aida Najaflou was arrested in February 2025 for "acting against the Islamic Republic." Despite suffering from multiple health issues, including a spinal fracture she sustained after a fall in late October, the 44-year-old Christian woman received limited medical care. Adding to her adversities, she was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison this past November. (More information on Aida's case can be accessed at VOMCanada.com/tagged-items/aida-najaflou.htm.)

In June 2023, Haroon Shahzad posted a Bible passage on his Facebook page without any commentary. Some community members were offended by the post, which eventually led to mob riots. While the authorities were able to avert the resulting violence, hundreds of Christians – including Haroon and his family – were forced to flee their village. Based on the allegations, Haroon was initially charged with blasphemy. (Read further details about his case.)

Reports of persecution against Christians in China specifically involve opposition from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and their provincial counterparts. The country's governing officials have mandated that all churches promote the Communist Party's policies. Those refusing to comply inevitably encounter harassment or imprisonment. For more information regarding Christian persecution in China, and/or to review specific reports, see our China country profile.

Five Iranian Christians were recently sentenced to a combined 55 years in prison. All of them have been imprisoned because of their Christian faith. Although the sentences were issued on October 21st, the believers only learned of them within the past two weeks.