Pastor released from prison in Iran

 After serving more than one year of his 10-year prison sentence, an Armenian-Iranian pastor recently gained freedom from Tehran’s Evin Prison following public outcry.

Pastor Anooshavan Avedian, imprisoned on Sept. 18, 2023, was acquitted of his crimes and released on Sept. 24, 2024. Before his release, International Christian Concern, The Voice of the Martyrs, Open Doors, Middle East Concern, Article 18, and Barnabas Aid raised concerns about his case and called for his release.

Avedian was arrested on Aug. 21, 2020, after roughly 30 Iranian authorities invaded his home, where a group of Christians were praying and learning about Jesus. Authorities took everyone’s Bibles and phones and forced them to share the passwords for their devices.  

Authorities charged Avedian with “establishing and leading an illegal group with the aim of disrupting the security of the country through educational and propaganda activities contrary to, and disturbing the holy religion of Islam, through the dissemination of false claims.”

Iran is governed by Sharia law and uses the death penalty for those who insult the Prophet Muhammad. The U.S. Secretary of State has designated Iran as a Country of Particular Concern for its extreme abuses of religious freedom. Authorities target Christians, especially Muslims who illegally convert to Christianity. 

According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), those who convert are often coerced into abstaining from practicing their faith. 

“Christian converts from Islam reported being detained and forced to sign commitments to refrain from further Christian activities or ordered to attend Islamic re-education sessions,” USCIRF reported in 2023. 

To read more news stories, visit the ICC Newsroom. For interviews, please email press@persecution.org. 

Since 1995, ICC has served the global persecuted church through a three-pronged approach of assistance, advocacy, and awareness. ICC exists to bandage the wounds of persecuted Christians and to build the church in the toughest parts of the world.

President Ortega is back at it again in Nicaragua

 During the last year, six Christian women have been imprisoned in Nicaragua for their religious activities. Among them are five Catholics, namely María Asunción Salgado, Evelyn Guillén, Adela Tercero, Gabriela Morales, Maricarmen Espinosa Segura, and one Protestant, Marisela de Fátima Mejía Ruiz. 

María Asunción Salgado was arrested on Oct. 7, 2023. Salgado and two other individuals were detained for “religious belief, activity, and association” as they attended a religious ceremony in Nuestra Señora de Asuncion parish, part of the Diocese of Estelí, Nicaragua. 

Similarly, Evelyn Guillén was arrested on Aug. 5, 2023, for “religious activity and expression.” Guillén allegedly displayed a poster advocating for the release of Bishop Rolando Alvarez. Authorities detained Alvarez in August 2022 and held him in home confinement or prison for more than a year for preaching that certain liberties are given by God. He was released on Jan. 14 and exiled to the Vatican. Guillén has reportedly been denied medical treatment while in detention. 

Adela Tercero and Gabriela Morales were detained on Aug. 19, 2023, “in relation to a crackdown on religious institutions.” They were allegedly charged with spreading false information and “undermining national security,” though those charges were eventually dropped. Both women were purportedly found with marijuana in their possession and convicted of drug trafficking. Both individuals were reportedly denied the right to attorneys.

Tercero attended the Jesuit Central American University (UCA) in Managua, where she was a student leader, and Morales was a student at Jesuit Juan Pablo II University. Many UCA students were active in the 2018 protests against social security reforms being pushed by the authoritarian government. Both Christian schools were shut down amid increasing attacks against Catholic churches and institutions instigated by the Nicaraguan regime led by President Daniel Ortega. Leaders and parishioners in the Catholic Church aided the 2018 protesters and spoke out against human rights violations perpetrated by Nicaraguan authorities.  

U.S. Congressman Chris Smith released a statement in early 2024 denouncing the Nicaraguan government’s position on protesters. 

“Tens of thousands of Nicaraguans have fled their country to avoid persecution since 2018, when Ortega’s government cracked down on widespread anti-regime protests, killing hundreds of people, injuring thousands and arbitrarily detaining many,” Smith stated.  

Maricarmen Espinosa Segura was arrested in December 2023 on charges of money laundering, an often-used tactic by Ortega’s regime to falsely accuse and imprison those it views as political enemies. Segura was given a 10-year sentence and an $80 million fine on March 19 for activities related to the Puerta de la Montaña Ministry. The ministry was part of Mountain Gateway, a Christian missionary group based in the United States. Eleven pastors and evangelical leaders with ties to Puerta de la Montaña were convicted in March on spurious charges of money laundering.  

Puerta de la Montaña and Mountain Gateway coordinated mass evangelical events. These events drew hundreds of thousands of Christ seekers and believers, which the authoritarian regime likely viewed as a threat to its power. 

Like Segura, Marisela de Fátima Mejía Ruiz, also associated with the Puerta de la Montaña Ministry, was given an $80 million fine and a 15-year prison sentence for money laundering. 

A June 2024 report from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) detailed the extent to which the Latin American nation is targeting Christians. 

“Nicaragua’s social and political crisis, which began in April 2018 with the government’s violent repression of peaceful protests, has had devastating ramifications for Catholics and Protestants,” the report stated. “The government initially targeted the Catholic Church because it provided sanctuary to demonstrators and clergy voiced opposition to the government’s human rights abuses … [Additionally], the … regime has engaged in increasingly repressive actions against Protestant communities as it seeks to tighten its grip on power.”

To read more news stories, visit the ICC Newsroom. For interviews, please email press@persecution.org. 

Lack of freedom under Communist regimes

 According to an International Christian Concern (ICC) analysis, at least 72 Christians are either imprisoned or missing in four of the world’s five communist countries. This finding further highlights the scope of persecution that Christians face while living under communist regimes.

Using data from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), ICC learned that 52 Christians are currently imprisoned in China, Cuba, North Korea, and Vietnam. Another 20 Christian prisoners are missing in these countries. 

“These numbers are daunting yet unsurprising,” said an ICC staffer in Asia, who added that the actual numbers are likely much higher. “Communism is just as dangerous and destructive to Christians today as it was in previous generations.”

The 72 documented persecuted believers were imprisoned for a range of perceived offenses relating to their Christian faith, including “undermining national unity policy” and “inciting subversion of state power.”

Yang Jianxin of China, for example, was arrested in 2021. He was later sentenced to five years and six months in prison for “conducting illegal business operations” and “printing and purchasing illegal publications” after asking “a local printer to print Bibles.” 

In another case stretching back to 2001, Chung Yong Cheol, a Korean Christian, was arrested “reportedly for studying the Bible” in China and deported to North Korea and sentenced to 10 years in “a political prison camp.” Cheol’s status is unknown. 

Y Min Ksor of Vietnam was arrested in 2018 after Vietnamese authorities accused him of “spreading false information” about Vietnamese religious freedom and human rights abuses to persuade others to “establish an independent state.” Vietnamese authorities allegedly tortured Ksor during his initial detainment and forced him to agree to no longer participate in “worshiping with his church.” He received a 14-year prison sentence for “undermining national unity policy.” 

In Cuba, Pastor Lorenzo Rosales Fajardo was allegedly “severely beaten” and urinated on by Cuban authorities in 2021 after they detained him for participating in a protest denouncing the Cuban government’s abuses of civil liberties and food and medical supply shortages. Rosales Fajardo was reportedly “charged with disrespect, public disorder, incitement, and assault” and handed a 7-year prison sentence as a result. As recently as June 2024, reports surfaced alleging that the pastor was again the victim of a vicious beating “while in detention.” 

In addition to China, Cuba, North Korea, and Vietnam, Laos, the fifth communist nation, also persecutes Christians. According to a U.S. Department of State report from 2023, Laos officials allegedly engaged in discrimination against Christians for refusing to denounce Jesus. The statement also alleges that “in October, Sa Mouay District authorities forced eight or more families from three villages and destroyed their homes following their conversion to Christianity.” 

Communism has long been known for its atheistic roots, and the reverberation of those roots is still felt today by persecuted Christians living under communist rule. Karl Marx, who co-wrote the “The Communist Manifesto,” stated, “Communism begins where atheism begins.”

Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn, a Nobel prize winner and advocate against Soviet Union oppression, spoke out in 1983 on communism and its hatred of religion. 

“Within the philosophical system of Marx and Lenin, and at the heart of their psychology, hatred of God is the principal driving force, more fundamental than all their political and economic pretensions,” Solzhenitsyn said. “Militant atheism is not merely incidental or marginal to communist policy; it is not a side effect, but the central pivot. To achieve its diabolical ends, communism needs to control a population devoid of religious and national feeling, and this entails the destruction of faith and nationhood. Communists proclaim both of these objectives openly and just as openly go about carrying them out.” 

Another concerning reality of communism is its ability to reach beyond national borders. For example, numerous Vietnamese Christians who have fled to Thailand to avoid harsh religious persecution are being harassed and pressured by Vietnamese Communist officials who have traveled to Bangkok to bring these refugees back to face trial. 

“The current extradition trial in Bangkok of Montagnard Christian activist Y Quynh Bdap, who has been in Thailand since 2018, is just one example of the tentacles of communist governments stretching their reach beyond their national borders,” the ICC staffer said. 

To see a breakdown of the numbers by country, please view the article online.

To read more news stories, visit the ICC Newsroom. For interviews, please email press@persecution.org. 

Pakistani man sentenced to death for posting a TikTok video

 An anti-terrorism court in Sahiwal, Pakistan on Monday sentenced a Christian man to death for his alleged role in inciting the Jaranwala riots that occurred in August 2023.

Authorities arrested Ehsan Shan three days after thousands of Muslim men burned more than 200 homes and two dozen churches in the Christian community of Jaranwala. The riots started after locals claimed they saw two Christian men desecrating pages from a Quran. While Shan did not participate in the alleged blasphemy, the court found him guilty of sharing “hateful content” that blasphemed Islam on social media. He allegedly posted footage of the desecrated Islamic text on TikTok.

After announcing the verdict, Judge Ziaullah Khan also sentenced Shan to 22 years in prison and fined him 1 million Pakistani rupees. Shan’s lawyer, Khurram Shahzad, said he would appeal the verdict.

“This is what justice looks like in Pakistan,” an ICC staffer said. “Radical Muslims burn down dozens of homes and churches, and the only ‘justice’ being served is sentencing the Christians who called it out to death. The blasphemy law does not protect Islamic ideals; it kills Christians.”

Punjab authorities claimed in 2023 that they had detained nearly 130 suspects for their role in the attacks on the Christian community. According to Akmal Bhatti, chairman of the Minorities Alliance, most of those detained had been discharged or freed on bail. Only a dozen suspects face trials, Bhatti added.

Earlier this year, the two Christian brothers charged with desecrating the Quran were acquitted. A court in Faisalabad determined they had been framed following a personal dispute.

On Tuesday, Pakistanis, including several Christians, rallied against Shan’s death sentence in Karachi.

Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy laws, which are often weaponized against Christians, prohibit the desecration of the Quran. Those who violate the laws are often killed.

ICC continues to serve the victims of the Jaranwala riots. We initially responded with food aid and replaced lost home goods. We collaborated with local partners to provide trauma training and help rebuild communities. Today, we continue to help restore the livelihoods of those who lost their source of income by providing rickshaws, livestock, and trade equipment.

To read more news stories, visit the ICC Newsroom. For interviews, please email press@persecution.org. 

I just checked ... Boko Haram is still trash

 Islamic terror group Boko Haram recently shared on social media a video of Pastor Paul Musa pleading for his life as an armed, masked Islamic extremist stands behind him.

Boko Haram abducted the 59-year-old pastor and his wife, Ruth, 50, in March 2023 from their home in Borno state. In the video, the pastor is wearing orange clothing, reminiscent of the orange jumpsuits worn by the 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians that the Islamic State group beheaded on a beach in Libya in 2015.

According to an International Christian Concern (ICC) source in Nigeria, Boko Haram reportedly demanded the pastor’s family pay two hundred million Nigerian Naira, or roughly $130,000, by Monday, or Pastor Musa would be killed.

Since 2009, Islamic extremists such as Boko Haram, Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP), Islamic Fulani militants, and unidentified gunmen have killed an estimated 45,000 Christians. Earlier this month, members of ISWAP executed three Christians in Borno state. These groups also continue to kidnap pastors and priests and hold them for ransom.

For years, and again this year, the ongoing attacks, kidnappings, and executions of Christians have prompted the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to recommend that the U.S. Department of State designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). This year’s report also called for Boko Haram and ISWAP to be designated Entities of Particular Concern (EPC).

Michael Kurams, executive director of Living Streams of Hope and Peace Foundation, told an ICC staffer that there must be a more robust international response to the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

“There is an urgent need for diplomatic pressure on the Nigerian government to prioritize the safety and rights of its Christian citizens,” he told ICC. “Additionally, providing support to local and international organizations working on the ground can help offer some measure of protection and assistance to those in need.”

To read more news stories, visit the ICC Newsroom. For interviews, please email press@persecution.org. 

Mob of 66 not charged for killing elderly man

 Two weeks after Nazir Masih succumbed to injuries he sustained during a brutal mob attack on May 25, an International Christian Concern (ICC) source in Pakistan has learned that 66 of the arrested assailants have been released on bail.

The mob of angry Muslims had attacked Masih, who was in his 70s, after claims that he had burned pages from a Quran circulated throughout his community in Sargodha. The mob also looted and burned a shoe shop owned by Masih’s son, Sultan Masih, and burned the family’s home, where Nazir, his two sons, and ten other family members live.

The quick-bail release of suspects following a mob attack incited by false blasphemy allegations is an increasingly common trend in the predominantly Muslim country. Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy laws are often weaponized against Christians, who are at constant risk of being falsely accused of blaspheming Muhammad or the Quran. Those charged with blasphemy rarely go unpunished.

“There is no justice for Christians in Pakistan,” an ICC staffer said. “Nazir is just the most recent instance of Christians being treated as less than human. These attacks follow a pattern: a mob is riled by radicals, they attack innocent Christians for allegedly committing blasphemy, the police arrive too late, and ultimately release the offenders who then seek vengeance on those who are left.”

Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) also recently raised concerns about the quickly posted bails for the attackers in a new report, wondering if such a trend exists to encourage more similar attacks. HRFP highlighted similarities between the deadly attack on Masih on May 25 in Sargodha and the Jaranwala attack on August 16, 2023.

“A same format has been seen in practice in both incidents and many other blasphemy cases, from the use of Quranic papers, provoking people, mob attacks, burning homes and properties, and after all that, the attackers easily get bail and released within few days,” their statement said. “HRFP demands strict actions following intelligence reports that have exposed the same people from same extremist groups have accused multiple innocents.”

HRFP stated in a press release that the police department’s investigation of the Sargodha attack has been “discouraging.” First Information Reports (FIR) were filed against 44 identified and 400 unidentified suspects for “murder, attempt to murder, obstructing public officials in discharging their duty, assaulting a public official and mischief by fire or explosive material with intent to destroy a house or cause death or hurt,” but so far no sign of justice being carried out.

To read more news stories, visit the ICC Newsroom. For interviews, please email press@persecution.org. 

Since 1995, ICC has served the global persecuted church through a three-pronged approach of assistance, advocacy, and awareness. ICC exists to bandage the wounds of persecuted Christians and to build the church in the toughest parts of the world.

Muslim extremists strike again in Congo and kill 11

 At about 8 p.m. on Monday, May 13, members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) carried out a brutal attack in Ndimo village, Ituri province, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Islamic extremist group killed 11 Christians, kidnapped several others, and set houses on fire.

“The timing of the attack coincided with the presence of the military administrator of the territory in the Bandavilemba area,” a resident of Ndimo in the Irumu territory told an International Christian Concern (ICC) staff member. “This led to speculation that the ADF terrorists targeted this area due to the administrator’s visit, aiming to disrupt stability and sow fear among the local population.”  

One survivor told ICC that the ADF rebels left many people homeless while other innocent civilians burned to ash. 

“This horrific attack has left a trail of devastation and despair, with the loss of life and destruction of property reaching catastrophic proportions,” the survivor said. “The ruthless and barbaric actions of the ADF rebels have plunged our once peaceful village into a state of fear, leaving us traumatized and vulnerable. The scale of the atrocities committed by the ADF rebels in Ndimo is beyond comprehension, as more than five families mourn their loved ones and struggle to come to terms with the senseless violence that has shattered our community.”  

A Catholic bishop in Beni condemned the attack and called for the civilians to be vigilant and report any strangers who enter the community. 

“The brazen disregard for human life and dignity exhibited by these extremists underscores the urgent need for heightened security measures and robust counterterrorism efforts to safeguard innocent civilians from such brutal acts of violence,” the bishop said. “The resilience and courage displayed by the villagers in the face of such adversity are a testament to their unwavering spirit and determination to rebuild their lives amidst unimaginable tragedy.” 

The ADF’s attack on Ndimo comes a month after the group killed seven people on April 11 near Beni. Although the DRC is a Christian-majority country, more than 100 Islamist groups target Christians living in the east. The ADF, which established ties with the Islamic State group in 2018 and seeks to establish Shariah throughout the region, often kidnaps Christians and kills those who refuse to convert to Islam.

“While the international community recognizes the extreme danger posed by ADF, it does not seem to fully appreciate the religious component of the ADF movement,” ICC’s regional director for Africa said. “Make no mistake – the ADF is an Islamic terrorist group on a quest for global Jihad. The ADF militants spread terror throughout the DRC through murderous rampages on Christian villages, all while espousing extremist propaganda and forcing victims to join their cause.” 

For interviews, please email press@persecution.org.