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In late May, Protestant church leaders in Tajikistan were summoned to a meeting with Sulaymon Davlatzoda, the chair of the State Committee for Religious Affairs and Regulation of Traditions, Ceremonies and Rituals. During the meeting, they were informed that the government would no longer be registering any new churches. "We will keep the figure of registered churches unchanged from now on," Sulaymon told them. He further went on to remind the church leaders that there are to be no religious activities for those under 18 years of age, including their participation in any religious camps.

According to Christian leaders in Vietnam, new religion-related decrees are set to be introduced in the country which would further restrict religious freedoms. The proposed ordinances are apparently intended to resolve shortcomings in previous guidelines. However, as one Vietnamese analyst explained, "If you start with something which is very bad at its core, any additions to it can only be bad too.... Tinkering with the margins will not change the rotten core."

In May 2002, the Eritrean government closed all unregistered churches and established legislation outlawing any religious community except for Sunni Islam, Eritrean Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism. Government oppression and control was strongly instituted, even within these approved religious groups.

Christians in the village of Geltua, which is located in Odisha State, are questioning the sealing of their church building after authorities issued a mandate on May 17th ordering the believers to stop gathering for worship. According to one official named Manoj Patra, complaints had been filed by Bajrang Dal members claiming that the church was involved in illegally converting others of their tribal community to Christianity.

Zhang Qiang and Xiao Yue were eagerly anticipating their wedding day, which was planned for May 21st. But as the day approached, governmental pressure against the Christian couple began to mount. The problem is that they are members of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu – a church that has been banned and continues to face significant oppression from Chinese authorities. (See our country report for more details.)

The "Jona Home" website has been forced to cease operations after more than 20 years of service due to an increasing crackdown on religious content in China. On April 12th, the Christian website posted the following notice: "Due to reasons known to everyone, from now on our site can no longer serve brothers and sisters in Christ. Thanks to all for your company and support in the past 21 years!"

For the fourth consecutive year, Christians from the Alpha and Omega Presbyterian Church in Nueva las Tacitas, Chiapas State, are being forced to participate in a religious festival or face fines from village leaders. Every year, the people of the area celebrate the Santa Cruz Festival on May 3rd. This festival is part of syncretistic religious beliefs, involving a combination of Roman Catholicism and traditional tribal religions.

On April 3rd, members of a church in Gezira State, Sudan, were beginning to gather together for worship when Islamic militants prevented the believers from entering the building. The Christians were, however, able to assemble in the yard outside the building for prayer. When the believers attempted to gather for worship the following week, the attackers again disrupted the worship service. During the second incident, Pastor Estefanos was struck by the militants and then dragged from the building where he was further beaten. Three Christian women were also injured during the attack.

Worshippers at a Catholic church in Vu Ban, a rural district in northwestern Vietnam, were shocked when two governing officials rushed into the sanctuary on February 20th, interrupting a Sunday Mass being celebrated by the archbishop from Hanoi. Wearing helmets, the officials shouted loudly before taking the microphone and demanding that everyone disperse immediately, or "appropriate measures" would be taken. One of the officials was identified by witnesses as the head of the local branch of the Communist Party.

Christians in Algeria are requesting prayer for another church, this time in the city of Bejaia, as authorities continue their campaign to forcibly close places of worship. The church, which consists of more than 300 members, is a long-standing affiliate of the Église Protestante d'Algérie, an officially recognized umbrella organization for Protestant churches. On April 6th, the church was informed of an order from the governor to cease worship immediately.