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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."

A court in the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan recently fined two local Christians and three visitors from the capital city of Baku for participating in a worship gathering without state permission. The ruling was announced on June 19th, two months after authorities raided the home of a Korean family where the believers had assembled for worship. The court also fined and deported members of the Korean family for hosting Christian meetings in their residence.

In March 2017, Pastor John Cao was arrested by Chinese authorities for allegedly "organizing illegal border crossings" while conducting ministry work along the border between China and Myanmar. Sentenced to seven years in prison, he was finally released in March 2024. (For more information on the church leader's arrest, see this list.)

Since the Taliban gained control of Afghanistan in 2021, thousands of Afghans who refused to follow the regime's strict form of Islam have been forced to flee the country. Among them are an estimated 13,000 refugees who sought asylum in neighbouring Tajikistan. However, in a deeply troubling development, Tajik authorities have begun forcibly deporting refugees back to Afghanistan, where they could face severe persecution and possibly death.