Release International

A 3,000-strong mob attacked a Christian village near Alexandria, looting shops and homes and then setting them alight.

The recent kidnapping of two church leaders is one of several incidents causing concern for Christians in Sudan.

Release partner Stefanos Foundation reports that vast numbers of Christians are fleeing the northern city of Maiduguri to escape the continuing violence perpetrated by the extremist Boko Haram group.

LoveJos, the Christian prayer and action group, supported by the Overseas Fellowship of Nigerian Christians, is holding a vigil and prayer event tomorrow (Friday) in response to the continuing violence against Christians in northern Nigeria.

Release International will be staging a funeral procession for freedom in North Korea outside the country’s embassy in London on Jan 20. There will be a prayer vigil, readings from the words of North Korean defectors, and interview and picture opportunities. Release will be handing in a 48,000-signature petition calling for religious freedom. 

Release is handing in a petition with more than 48,000 signatures to the North Korean Embassy in London this Friday, January 20. It calls for religious freedom in a country that is arguably the worst persecutor of Christians in the world. We invite supporters to come and join in a procession to the embassy and a prayer vigil.

Hindu extremists armed with sticks and clubs attacked 20 Christians in a house near Bangalore last week, the latest in a string of attacks on Christians in Karnataka.

Islamist extremists have launched fresh attacks on Christian communities after telling them to leave northern Nigeria – or die.

Release International will be staging a procession and prayer vigil and handing in a petition to the North Korean Embassy in London on Jan 20. There will be interview and picture opportunities with strong visuals and audio.  

A bishop has been left blind in one eye and suffering severe burns after Islamist extremists threw acid over him.

Militants launched Christmas Day bomb attacks on Christian worshippers in three Nigerian states. The blasts killed around 40 who had gathered to celebrate Christmas and injured scores more.

China and North Korea are likely persecution hotspots for Christians in 2012, believes Release International. Release partners also foresee worsening persecution in Pakistan, India, Iran, Central Asia and Nigeria – where scores of Christians were killed and injured in Christmas bomb attacks. 

Release International has called for prayer and tighter security for Nigeria’s Christians after Islamist militants bombed churches for the second Christmas running. Some observers warn that Boko Haram, which wants to impose strict Islamic law in the country, is trying to spark a sectarian civil war. 

In too many countries across the world, regimes continue to limit religious freedom – and yet, as we look back through 2011, we can clearly see many answers to prayer. We want to remind you that your prayers are 'powerful and effective' (James 5:16) – and to encourage you to continue to pray fervently for the persecuted church.

Christians in North Korea face a critical moment following the death of the country's leader Kim Jong-Il from a heart attack. North Korean television announced that the 69-year-old leader had died at 8.30am on Saturday, while travelling on a train.

Christians in North Korea face a critical moment following the death of the country’s leader Kim Jong-Il from a heart attack. North Korean television announced that the 69-year-old leader had died at 8.30am on Saturday, while travelling on a train. ‘Under successive dictators, Christians in North Korea have faced some of the harshest persecution on earth. There is now a window of opportunity where this can stop, where North Korea can emerge from isolation and give its people freedom – including freedom of religion,’ says Andy Dipper, CEO of Release International. 

Militants have set off nail bombs at TV viewing centres in Jos, Nigeria. Three bombs went off on December 10 at centres in Christian areas where people gathered to watch a Spanish football match on cable TV.

There has been a series of attacks against the mainly Christian Kachin people in Burma. At the end of November soldiers fired mortar shells against civilians and burnt down homes.

Attacks on Christian businesses in the Kurdish north of Iraq have caused deep concern among local Assyrian Christians for whom the region has been a safe haven.

A Pakistani Christian has received death threats for 'blasphemy' after condemning the murder of a Christian government minister – who was himself killed for opposing the blasphemy laws.

Release partners report that Islamist militant group Boko Haram has launched fresh attacks on churches in Yobe – while militants continue their attacks on Christian villages in Plateau.
 

Buddhist nationalists in Sri Lanka have caused concern among Protestant Christians by renewing their calls for anti-conversion laws.

Four people were killed and six people injured in a raid last weekend on a Christian village in Bauchi state in central Nigeria, according to Release partner Stefanos Foundation.

The family of an evangelist shot dead in Karachi say they believe he was killed for his faith.

Release International is putting ‘Hope’ up for auction – a giant oil painting depicting how hope is being brought to the people of North Korea, one of the world’s most troubled nations. 

Christians in Kashmir have appealed for government officials to intervene in the case of a church pastor facing a summons from a local Sharia court.

The Sudanese military are accused of bombing a refugee camp in South Sudan where thousands have fled to escape violence and persecution in the north.

Release partners in northern Sri Lanka have asked for prayer for two of their workers who were brutally attacked by a gang wielding rods and clubs.

Release International calls for Christian woman facing death sentence in Pakistan to be set free and for blasphemy laws to be repealed.

Christian churches are bearing the brunt of attacks in Nigeria by Islamist sect Boko Haram. And as the militants threaten further attacks Release International is warning that churches could once again be key targets. 

Scores of people have died in a series of co-ordinated gun and bomb attacks by Islamist militants in northern Nigeria.

Police in the Maldives deported a foreign teacher for having a Bible in his house – confirming fears that repressive new religious laws are being enforced in the island nation.

Churches throughout the world are being encouraged to stand shoulder-to-shoulder to pray for Christians who are persecuted for their faith on the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP). The Day of Prayer is being held in the UK and Ireland on Sunday November 6, and Release International is offering a range of materials and ideas to help churches take part.  

Release partners in Pakistan have requested urgent prayer for tomorrow's bail hearing of a Punjab Christian convicted of blasphemy.

Churches in Kazakhstan say officials are enforcing tough new policies on religious activity even before they have passed into law.

The president of Sudan says he will press ahead with plans to adopt an entirely Islamic constitution and strengthen Sharia or Islamic law across the north.

At least 25 people were killed yesterday during a demonstration in Cairo by Christians protesting about the destruction of a church building in Aswan Province on September 30.

Iraqi Christians in the northern city of Kirkuk are calling on officials to improve security after two members of their community were murdered last weekend.

Iranian pastor Yousef Nadarkhani could be executed as early as tomorrow if he refuses to recant his faith in court today.

Christians in Kazakhstan are concerned that draft legislation being discussed in Parliament's upper house on Thursday would severely limit religious freedom.

A leading Chinese human rights campaigner who is alarmed by moves in China to legalise the secret detention of human rights activists – including Christians – is visiting the UK and available for interview on Sept 29.

Prominent Chinese house church leader Pastor Zhang Rongliang has been freed from jail early – after almost seven years' detention.

It’s called simply ‘Hope’. It’s a 5ft by 4ft oil painting that depicts, along with the darkness and tyranny of North Korea, how the gospel is bringing hope to that land. The painting depicts that message of hope being delivered from the air by Christian leaflets dropped from balloons. ‘Hope’ is the work of promising young London artist Emma Butler. Emma, who’s 17, is a former student at Thames Christian College, Clapham, London.

About 70 evangelical Christians have been forced to leave their homes in Puebla state after other townsfolk threatened to 'crucify or lynch' them if they stayed.

Seven people died and up to 80 were injured in violent clashes in the Moluccas this week, reviving memories of religious violence on the islands a decade ago.

Release International, which serves the persecuted church worldwide, is hosting a visit by a leading Chinese dissident and human rights campaigner Bob Fu. A media facility is being laid on to interview Mr Fu either over the phone or in person. 

At least 25 people were killed in two 'hit and run' attacks within 48 hours on Christian villages near Jos.

Release partners say a Christian family of eight were among those killed in ongoing violence centred on Jos in central Plateau state.

The death toll in Jos, Nigeria, is rising as violence continues. A Christian family of eight was murdered over the weekend, and partners of Release International, a ministry to persecuted Christians, report a further 14 have been killed. 

Release is calling a day of prayer for North Korea this Friday (September 9) and urging its supporters to join a prayer vigil outside the country's London embassy.

A number of Christians remain homeless months after being expelled from a Punjab village where a Christian man eloped with a Muslim woman.

Release International, which serves persecuted Christians worldwide, is calling a day of prayer on September 9 for North Korea – widely regarded as the world’s worst oppressor of Christians. North Korean refugees will join a prayer vigil outside the London embassy. 

Release partners report that Christian villages in Plateau state in central Nigeria have again come under attack after months of relative calm.

A Christian pastor in Pakistan, who was falsely accused of abduction after his brother eloped with a young woman from an influential Muslim family, is due to appear in court this week.

Christians in southern Egypt are fearful after a spate of violent attacks in Minya province left at least three believers dead.

Two churches serving the tiny Christian minority on Zanzibar island were burnt down in a week, amid mounting opposition to Christians on the archipelago.

Release partners in Pakistan say they are concerned for the health and well-being of two Christian women detained for 'blasphemy' in Punjab.

Recent attacks against Christians in south and west Sri Lanka have left several people injured and homes damaged, according to Release partners.

Eritrean officials have arrested 90 Christians since May – and more than a quarter of them are college students, according to Release partners.

Christian groups in Armenia are concerned over a hardening of official attitudes towards non-orthodox church groups as the draft of a new religious law is unveiled.

 

Christians are fleeing the northern city of Maiduguri amid threats of further, larger-scale attacks by Islamist extremists.

Three people died when a bomb exploded at a church close to the Nigerian capital, Abuja, on Sunday.

Release International is calling for prayer for a peaceful transition as South Sudan prepares to become the world’s newest nation at midnight (2100 GMT).

Release is encouraging its supporters to pray for peace as South Sudan prepares to become the world's newest nation.

An Iranian pastor faces being executed for apostasy after he lost his appeal against the death sentence.

Large gangs attacked two Christian communities in Egypt in the latest of a series of ongoing attacks on the country's Christian minority.

Nepal's Christian minority are concerned about draft laws which they fear could make evangelism illegal.

Indonesian Christians are being urged not to retaliate after an attack on a mission school in West Java.

Extremists shot dead a Nigerian pastor and his secretary in the north-eastern town of Maiduguri which is beset by increasing Islamist militancy.

Optimism turns to fear as freedoms come under threat from radical agendas. Call for new governments to guarantee freedom of religion.
 

Friends and family of a Christian father-of-two are calling for clarity on his case more than five months after he was detained in Tehran's notorious Evin prison.

A rural church congregation have forgiven a gang who attacked their church after Release partners prompted local Muslims to make a public apology.

Christians in rebel-held areas of Colombia are reported to be on high alert as guerrilla violence intensifies.

Release and other religious rights campaigners are holding a prayer vigil outside the Eritrean Embassy in London this Thursday on behalf of persecuted Christians in Eritrea.

At the end of last year the Home Office refused to grant Helen Berhane, the former Eritrean prisoner of faith, a short stay visa to visit the UK to speak at a number of churches.

Christian human rights campaigners from a range of organisations are uniting to stage a prayer vigil on May 26 outside the Eritrean Embassy in London. They’re pressing for freedom for Christians who are persecuted and jailed for their faith in Eritrea.

A 17-year-old Christian girl has reportedly been taken hostage by a Muslim family whose daughter has allegedly eloped with the Christian's brother.

Thousands of Christians who fled their homes during post-election violence last month are still living in camps for fear of further attack, according to latest reports.

As two major new reports highlight North Korean human rights violations, Release International is campaigning for religious freedom in the country often described as the worst persecutor of Christians on Earth.  The Release One Day campaign is calling on Christians to sign a petition pressing for freedom of worship in the land where Bibles are banned. The petition asks North Korea to allow its citizens to practise their faith without threat of persecution.

A Nigerian pastor who saw his wife and three children murdered by extremists says his loss has only strengthened his faith in Christ.

Communal clashes in a poor district of Cairo over the weekend left 12 people dead, prompting demonstrations for an end to inter-religious violence.

Lao and Vietnamese troops killed four Christian women in front of their families – amid an apparent crackdown on 'dissidents' in Laos.

Christians in Pakistan are said to be on high alert after news of Osama bin Laden's death triggered extremist threats against their community.

More than 500 people have been killed and thousands displaced in post-election violence which has swept across northern Nigeria.

Two Christians from Punjab are in protective custody after blasphemy accusations against them sparked violent riots.

As we prepare to mark the death and resurrection of Jesus, we invite you to remember Christians suffering in His name this Easter.

Six recently baptised Christians were arrested in northern Orissa after Hindu activists accused them of converting to Christianity 'illegally'.

Church leaders in Pakistan say they have forgiven a man who tore up a Bible in a Lahore church and are urging other Christians to follow their lead.

Beijing officials detained scores of Christians when a congregation held their Sunday worship outdoors after being barred entry to their normal meeting venue.

Campaigners from ten human rights organisations have joined Christians in Cairo protesting against a spate of brutal attacks on two Coptic villages.

A Release partner is among several high-profile Christians in Pakistan to have received death threats since Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti was murdered.

North Korean Christians who have fled their country to escape persecution tell their stories in a new DVD by Release International – part of a major new campaign for religious freedom in North Korea. They describe brutal persecution in a land whose leaders require absolute obedience.

Two Christians were shot dead in Sindh province after reprimanding youths who had been insulting Christian women.

Fresh attacks on Christians and churches in Plateau have raised fears that extremists are trying to stir up unrest ahead of presidential elections next month.

Churches bombed and Christians attacked as violence spreads in Nigeria ahead of Presidential elections. Police warn worship areas are targets. Fears that jihad has been launched to create chaos and force state of emergency. Archbishop of Jos fears city could be overrun

Christians in Turkey still face discrimination and harassment – even four years after the Malatya Christian murders sent shock waves through the nation.

Release's ministry focuses on supporting Christians suffering persecution abroad but we are increasingly concerned by threats in the UK to Christians' freedom of conscience.

Christians sent to camps described as ‘hell on earth’ – those who flee can face death or trafficking in China. Release petition calls for freedom in land where Bibles are banned and Christians can be jailed as political prisoners 

Thousands of Coptic Christians have taken to the streets to demand more protection after Islamist extremists torched and destroyed a village church near Cairo.

At least one Christian was killed and 59 churches were burnt when a huge Islamist mob rampaged through part of west Ethiopia in response to blasphemy allegations.

Villagers in remote areas of Orissa say they fear a fresh outbreak of widespread violence against Christians – after a series of extremist attacks.

Release contacts say they are increasingly concerned for two Christian couples imprisoned in Iran and are calling for prayer and advocacy on their behalf.

The killing spree targeting villages around Jos in Plateau state continues unchecked as at least nine more people have been murdered in the past week.

Two years after the arrest of Beijing lawyer Gao Zhisheng, Release is calling on supporters to pray for religious rights lawyers currently detained in China.

Thousands of Islamic hardliners rioted in Central Java after a judge ignored their demands for the death sentence for a Christian convicted of blasphemy.

Many Egyptian Christians are reported to be confined to their homes, in fear of where the current political instability may lead.

Release is calling on supporters to pray for its partners trying to support Christians caught up in ongoing sectarian violence in central Nigeria.
 

Release International is inviting women around the country to put the heart back into Valentine’s Day. Valentinus is believed to have been a church leader who was executed in AD269 for defying a Roman order banning marriage. He continued to marry couples in secret – and was eventually put to death. Now Release, which supports persecuted Christians worldwide, is inviting women to stage a special Valentine’s meal to support women around the world who are suffering for their faith.

Release International is calling women in Northern Ireland to put the heart back into Valentine’s Day. Valentinus is believed to have been a church leader who was executed in AD269 for defying a Roman order banning marriage. He continued to marry couples in secret – and was eventually put to death for it. Now Release, which supports persecuted Christians worldwide, is staging a conference to support women around the world who are suffering for their faith.

Uzbek pastor Dmitry Shestakov was released from jail four years after his arrest – and three days before his mother's death.

Midnight raids on two villages in Plateau state are reported to have claimed the lives of eight people, amid continuing religious tension in central Nigeria.

Eritrean Christians' fears of a mass crackdown by officials appear to have been realised – with scores of arrests reported in the past three weeks.

Islamist extremists in Somalia murdered a mother-of-four in front of her community after tapping her phone for proof that she had become a Christian.

At least 13 were killed during a series of raids on remote villages in Plateau state – as religious tensions erupted into street violence in several towns.

Release will present a petition at the Pakistan High Commission in London tomorrow expressing grave concern at the lack of justice for Christians in Pakistan.

Release International is to present a 50,000 signature petition calling on Pakistan to protect its Christian minority. This follows the assassination of a leading politician who called for the repeal of the country’s notorious blasphemy laws.

Christians in Iran are concerned by a recent wave of arrests targeting their community – and by officials' threats of more to follow.

Bomb attacks on Christians in Egypt and Iraq have claimed several lives over the New Year.
 

Release International is calling for restraint in Nigeria, as the death toll following the Christmas Eve attacks continues to rise. 

Death toll rises to 80… Second Islamist group claims responsibility… but mounting evidence suggests bomb attacks were politically motivated

Release is calling for prayer for Sudan in the run-up to next month's referendum on whether or not South Sudan should become independent.

Scores have been killed and injured in a series of bomb blasts and church attacks in Plateau and Borno states in Nigeria.

At the close of the year, we at Release would like to thank you for your faithful prayers on behalf of persecuted Christians worldwide – and remind you that your prayers are powerful.

Many churches in Iraq's major cities have been forced to cancel their Christmas services after extremist websites threatened further attacks.

Vietnamese officials appear to have launched a major crackdown on Christians, calling a halt to Christmas services in several cities and putting pastors under house arrest.

Release is calling for prayer for a Christian prisoner of faith who faces a possible death sentence for 'apostasy'.

Mennonite pastor Nguyen Hong Quang was beaten unconscious by Ho Chi Minh City officials today (December 14) as they bulldozed his Bible school.

The ongoing assault on Iraq's Christian community has claimed two more lives – in stark contrast to declining levels of general violence in the country.

Four Copts were killed and at least 50 were hurt when members of a church in Talbiya, Giza, clashed with security officials trying to stop their building work.

Suspected Fulani militants killed three Christians and injured one other in a night raid on a village near Jos in Plateau state.

Christians in Egypt are calling for prayer amid threats of extremist attack and heightened anti-Christian sentiment.

The family of Asia Bibi has gone into hiding ahead of reports of her imminent pardon for the death sentence for blasphemy in Pakistan.  A militant backlash is feared.

A pastor at the Baghdad cathedral where 53 Christians were recently killed has urged Iraqi Christians not to give up – even as fresh attacks claim more lives.

Officials in Guangzhou city and surrounding areas in south Guangdong province have forbidden house churches to meet during the Asian Games.

A suspected arsonist is being blamed for a night-time blaze at a church in Jerusalem which caused serious damage and injured ten Christian volunteers.

For the first time in history Pakistan has sentenced to death a Christian woman for blasphemy. 

Christian mother-of-two Asia Bibi has been sentenced to death for blasphemy – the first woman ever to receive this sentence for blasphemy in Pakistan.

Four children and two women were killed when gunmen launched a night-time assault on a Christian village in Plateau State, according to Release partners.

Iraqi Christians have appealed for UN protection following the militia attack on a church in Baghdad on Sunday in which up to 60 people died.

A Christian in south Bhutan has been jailed for three years for 'attempting to promote civil unrest' – simply for showing films about Christianity.

Hindu nationalists attacked four church leaders and a pregnant woman in Karnataka, killing her unborn child.

A Chinese prisoner of faith is said to be seriously ill and officials are refusing to treat her until medical fees are paid by her husband, who cannot afford them.

Pastor Zhang 'Bike' Mingxuan wrote his fifth open letter to President Hu Jintao on China's National Day (October 1), urging the head of state to turn his heart towards the suffering of Christians in his vast, populous nation.

A Christian lawyer, his wife and five children are believed to have been murdered by Islamic extremists after he dared to challenge a Muslim loan shark.

Islamic militants attacked Christians in the Gujarat district of Punjab in just the latest in a string of assaults on their community in less than a month.

The church in Laos is calling for urgent prayer for five Lao Christians being held by police in the north of the country.

The elder of a West Java church at the centre of a licensing row is in a critical condition after being attacked.

Officials in the town of Malerkotla in Punjab have imposed a curfew after thousands of Christians staged demonstrations over an arson attack on a church.

Hindu nationalists have falsely accused five Christians of desecrating Hindu temples, prompting their arrest.

Release International is calling a day of prayer for Pakistan, for victims of the flood disaster, which the UN has called the worst humanitarian crisis in its history. 

Al Shabaab insurgents in Somalia are reported to have murdered a Christian and abducted his four children for military training.

A pastor and two other Christians who were attacked by extremists have been charged with 'outraging the religious feelings' of others.

The Pakistani Taliban are accused of abducting and killing three Christian aid workers who were trying to bring relief supplies to flood survivors.

Release partners and church leaders in Karnataka have protested about inflammatory remarks by a senior politician calling for Christianity to be 'weeded out' of the state.

A church in Guangdong province has been thrown out of rented accommodation yet again in an apparent bid by officials to force its pastor to give up his ministry.

Christians in West Java are taking a firm stand against extremist threats and refusing to give in to demands that they stop worshipping.

A 25-year-old Christian woman from Punjab has been acquitted of blasphemy after spending five months in detention with her infant son.

Release International, which serves persecuted Christians worldwide, is warning of a growing threat to Christians working in Afghanistan, following the recent murder of ten aid workers. Release is also calling for prayer for Christian relief workers in that country. 

Concern is rising for Afghanistan's small Christian community, following the recent murder of ten aid workers in the country.

Three leaders of an underground house church in North Korea have been executed and 20 of their Christian associates jailed, according to sources inside the reclusive nation.

A dozen masked men gunned down five Christians as they came out of their church building in Sukkur in Sindh Province two months after a banned Islamic extremist group sent church leaders a threatening letter, relatives said.

'Strong Together', Release’s National Conference on November 6, is a chance not only to hear first-hand accounts of persecution but also to get to know other Release supporters who carry a burden for their persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ.
 

A Vietnamese evangelist has received death threats after a gang of youths, allegedly spurred on by officials, attacked his home and house church twice in six weeks.

A Christian student nurse is still in a critical condition after she was allegedly gang-raped and then thrown from a fourth-floor window in Karachi.

Human rights organisation Release International is warning that Christians in Nigeria are ‘sitting targets’, as news emerges that the family of a priest has been murdered in a machete attack in Jos. 

Two Christian brothers were shot dead yesterday outside the courthouse where they were standing trial for blasphemy, Release partners report.

At least seven people, including a mother of six, were killed by Islamic militants in Nigeria’s Kaduna state just four months after attacks left more than 500 dead in neighbouring Plateau.  

A Christian woman is said to be in a critical condition in hospital after being attacked by a knife-wielding mob who accused her of forcible conversion.

An Iranian Christian has won his fight to be allowed to visit his son in prison – but is now deeply concerned about the 29-year-old's health and well-being.

At least seven people have been killed in fresh attacks on Christian communities in Kaduna and Plateau states.

The Moroccan authorities have expelled eight more foreign Christians, much to the distress of the country's small Christian community.

Please pray for Christians in Afghanistan as a matter of urgency.

Hindu extremists across India are continuing to use anti-conversion laws as an excuse to attack Christians and try to limit church activities.

Islamist hardliners are using fighting talk about the 'Christianisation' of Bekasi, amid rising interfaith tensions in the city.

Kenyan Christians are coming under fire for campaigning against a draft constitution which they say would threaten religious freedom.

Two Christian families in Pakistan are devastated after their young daughters were raped.

A Christian teenager in Somalia is reportedly being abused and held prisoner in her own home after she refused her parents' demands that she return to Islam.

Two Christian women in Punjab have an anxious wait before they appear in court on blasphemy charges tomorrow.

Release is calling on its supporters to pray for Christian mother-of-six Martha Bibi who was scheduled to appear in court last Friday on blasphemy charges.

About 250 Christian families have been forced to leave their homes in Punjab – after they dared to challenge the abuse suffered by their women and girls.

Hindu extremists are accused of murdering a pastor in Assam – just days before the he was due to finish building a new church for his congregation.

Christian human rights campaigners from Eritrea, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland and England converged on the Eritrean Embassy in London yesterday (June 3), to mark the eighth anniversary of the forced closure of many churches in Eritrea. 

Christian human rights campaigners from a range of organisations are coming together to stage a prayer vigil tomorrow (Thursday June 3) outside the Eritrean Embassy in London, pressing for freedom for Christians. 

A Christian woman who was abducted, told to convert to Islam and then forced to marry her attacker has escaped and returned home.

Chinese officials have given the pastor of a large church in Guangdong province a stark choice between exile abroad or prosecution and lengthy imprisonment.

Two Christian prisoners of faith have been acquitted of all charges 14 months after their arrest – and are now safe in a country outside Iran.

An Egyptian Christian branded an apostate for leaving Islam is 'devastated' by a court decision to suspend his legal battle to change his religion on his identity card.

An Uzbek court has given three Christians 15-day jail sentences – just two days after police and other officials raided their church in the capital Tashkent.

Christians in Pakistan are being caught up in the backlash against the Western war on terror. In a new radio report available from Release International Christians describe being attacked by militants after being falsely accused of deliberate blasphemy.

Release International has launched a petition calling on the Pakistan government to protect its Christian minority, following an investigation which has detailed brutal persecution at the hands of extremists.

Christians suspect Hindu militants of the brutal murder of an evangelist in east India, soon after he had helped screen the Jesus film.

Beijing lawyer Gao Zhisheng has disappeared again, just days after security officials apparently freed him at the end of a 13-month detention.

There is confirmation today that missing Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng is alive – after an international campaign by partners of Release International and other human rights groups.  

An underground church leader in Somalia who escaped a kidnapping attempt by Islamist extremists earlier this month has succumbed to their bullets.

A huge mob launched a lengthy attack on a Christian community in northern Egypt – apparently in protest at a church's decision to build a wall around its land.

Provincial officials have weighed into the row over 48 Christians expelled from their village in Saravan by saying they have the right to worship freely and live where they please.

Release partners in Nigeria are calling on the international community to help protect the church in Plateau State after a second brutal attack on Christians in less than a fortnight.

Release International is calling on the international community to help protect vulnerable Christians in Nigeria, after a further attack against Christians near Jos – scene of a massacre earlier this month. 

Two serious assaults on Coptic Christians in a village in Upper Egypt have led them to fear they may be the next target for organised violence.

Concern is rising for a group of orphans in Morocco after the ex-pat Christians caring for them were deported – the latest targets in an official crackdown on alleged 'proselytising'.

The wife of an Assyrian pastor recently detained for his faith says he bears the 'visible marks of torture' and has been threatened with execution.

Plateau State officials have faced angry protests and hard questions after perhaps 500 Christians were murdered in villages around Jos, despite a heavy security presence in the area.

Christian leaders in Karachi have initiated peace talks with local Muslims after an armed mob went on the rampage through a Christian community.

A senior evangelical pastor is among a number of Christians detained in Iran in recent weeks.

A mob burnt down eight churches and several Christian shops – apparently to vent their frustration over the unrelated death of a Muslim tractor driver.

Several Christians have been killed in Mosul as campaigning for parliamentary elections this weekend gathers pace.

'John' is living proof that no one is beyond Christ's redemptive power. As a young man in the 1970s he joined an extremist group intent on establishing a strict Islamic society in Egypt. While studying about Islam he was also burning down Christian properties.

Esther’s parents, both pastors in the Linfen Fushan church in China’s Shanxi province, were arrested after 400 police and security officials demolished their church in September 2009. Her father Yang Xuan has been sentenced to three and a half years in jail for 'illegal land occupation'. Her mother Yang Caizhen was sentenced without trial to two years' 're-education through labour'. Another eight leaders also received sentences. In this letter Esther explains what happened – and how you can help.

Orissa officials stand accused of 'cleaning up' an area which was home to scores of Christian refugees hours before a European Union delegation was due to visit.

Another Christian has died in prison in Eritrea – after refusing to make the prison chief a cup of coffee.

An entire Christian community in Laos have been thrown out of their village at gunpoint for refusing to deny Christ.

A young Christian shopkeeper has been given a life sentence for 'blasphemy' – but locals insist he was 'set up' by a business rival.

More than 2,000 ethnic minority Karen have been forced to abandon their villages and go into hiding following attacks by the Burmese army.

A pastor's wife has been forced to flee Somalia after Islamist extremists shot dead her husband and then threatened to kill her too.

Church leaders in Jos have appealed for calm after serious violence rocked the Plateau state capital again, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people.

A large mob attacked a Christian man and his family in Islamabad following allegations of blasphemy over a remark he made about an Islamic festival.

Christians in Malaysia are stunned after a spate of unprecedented attacks on churches which followed a court ruling that a Christian newspaper could use the word 'Allah'.

Iranian officials have threatened to take a sick child into care unless her Christian parents renounce their faith and stop speaking publicly about Christ.

At least seven people were killed in southern Egypt when gunmen opened fire on churchgoers leaving a late-night service in Quena province.

www.releaseinternational.org/media/Eritrea2009/Eritrea%20petition.mp3Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali is calling on the British government to put pressure on Eritrea to release thousands of Christians who have been jailed for their faith. Bishop Michael and Release International presented a 43,000-signature petition to the Eritrean ambassador and to Gordon Brown [Jan 15] calling for an end to imprisonment without trial and torture in Eritrea.

Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, the patron of Release International, is to present a petition to the Eritrean Embassy and No.10 Downing Street calling for religious freedom for Eritrean Christians imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

Hundreds of Muslims celebrating the Islamic New Year's Eve abandoned a street procession to attack a half-built church in West Java.

A spate of bomb attacks on churches in Iraq forced many Christians to cut short their Christmas worship celebrations.

Christians in India's troubled Orissa state have celebrated Christmas in peace for the first time in three years.

Release International warns that persecution is set to worsen in North Korea - possibly the world’s worst trouble spot for Christians - in 2010. 

Up to 20,000 Indian Christians face Christmas as refugees – two years after a wave of attacks by militant Hindus in the state of Orissa. Release International warns many displaced by the worst sectarian rioting in India are still unable to return to their villages for fear of death or forcible conversion to Hinduism.

More than 70 mainly Christian Burmese children who fled to Thailand to escape Buddhist militia face imminent repatriation – and the threat of death.

Two bomb attacks on one day have dismayed Christians in Mosul – but believers in Baghdad are said to be 'cautiously optimistic' about security in the capital.

The Eritrean authorities arrested a large group of mostly elderly women at a prayer meeting in Asmara.

Religious rights campaigners have strongly condemned harsh jail sentences handed down to 11 church leaders in different parts of China.

Islamist extremists have murdered yet another Christian after accusing him of trying to convert a teenage Muslim to Christianity.

A man was seriously injured when Islamist extremists bombed his shop in North-West Frontier Province – because he stocked the Jesus film.

Several Coptic Christian communities were badly damaged when a mob looted and burned Christian property in three days of rioting in Upper Egypt.

Uyghur house church leader Wusiman Yiming has been released after serving two years' 're-education through labour' at a prison camp in Xinjiang province.

More than 1,000 Bible college students demonstrated in West Jakarta after local officials evicted them from refuges where they took shelter from attack last year.

A Coptic Christian has found himself at the centre of a row over where Christian activities can lawfully be held – after inviting a pastor to his home to pray for a sick relative.

A congregation near Kampala is living in fear after a violent mob armed with machetes and clubs tried to raid their Sunday worship service.

Release International is rallying to the support of Burma’s orphans, with a Christmas campaign to raise more than £20,000 to help child victims of poverty and conflict.

This year’s International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church has been called for November 15. And Release International is urging Christians to follow that with a week of coffee mornings to raise awareness and prayer for Christians facing persecution in Eritrea.

Public Security Bureau officials are keeping up the pressure on the Fushan Church in Linfen city – detaining ten more of its members and blacklisting its leaders.

The blasphemy trial of a Christian woman from Punjab has begun amid tearful scenes as she was reunited with her daughters.

Ten Christians from the same church are in custody after security officials raided the Asmara home of prominent pastor Tewelde Hailom.

Students from the Arastamar Evangelical Theological Seminary face imminent eviction from a campsite where they took refuge last year after a violent raid on their campus.

Churches in Punjab are dismayed by court decisions to release on bail 19 people accused of involvement in the attack on Gojra in which 11 Christians died.

Two congregations in the Jakarta area are on high alert after their church leaders received bomb threats.

More than 11 leaders of a large church in Shanxi province are waiting for officials to decide whether they will face prosecution for 'illegal' church activities.

A judge in Iran has dropped a charge of 'anti-state activity' against two Christian women – but they have now been formally charged with apostasy.

Release International is launching a powerful new book telling the story of gospel singer Helen Berhane, who was imprisoned in a shipping container in the East African state of Eritrea and brutally tortured for her faith.

Release International is delighted to hear that Iran has dropped a major charge of conducting activities against the state against two Christian women who have been detained since March because of their faith.

A National Day of Prayer is being held at the NEC in Birmingham on October 17, with a major emphasis on praying for persecuted Christians worldwide.

Long-suffering Beijing pastors Zhang 'Bike' Mingxuan and Hua Huiqi have been detained yet again – apparently as part of the government 'clean-up' for China's National Day.

A Sudanese bishop has called on the international community for help after guerrillas crucified seven Christians.

Release International is inviting women to be inspired by the courage, strength and faith of their Christian sisters around the world who suffer persecution.

Release International has helped nine North Koreans refugees fleeing famine and torture to seek asylum in the Danish Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam. Their desperate stories highlight the grinding poverty and struggle for survival faced by ordinary North Koreans - and the brutality meted out to any caught trying to escape. 

Police accompanied by Hindu extremists have arrested the director of a hostel for boys in Karnataka, accusing him of forcing children to become Christians.

Christians in northern Iraq are said to be 'losing hope' amid fears of escalating violence in the run-up to next year's elections.

Two Christians have been given tough jail sentences for helping North Korean refugees flee to South Korea through China.

Islamist extremists shot dead five Christians at a laboratory in Pakistan after they refused to convert to Islam.

Hindus opposed to a Christian evangelist in Madhya Pradesh have falsely accused him and three other Christians of murdering a young man killed in a gang fight.

Chinese officials have issued a secret order calling for several Beijing house churches to be closed – apparently to gag dissidents before the 60th anniversary of Communist rule.

Indonesian Christians are calling on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to stem the tide of Bills and legislation which, they say, are ceding ground to Islamic law.

Two Christian prisoners are expected to walk free within days after spending more than three years behind bars on murder charges they had always denied.

One year after the outbreak of religious violence against Christians in Orissa, India, many Christian refugees are still living in temporary camps and slums, unable to return to their homes. 

Attacks on India's Christians continue with disturbing regularity, despite the authorities' promises to do more to protect religious minorities after the Orissa riots.

Churches in Sri Lanka are suffering a sudden upsurge in persecution – as the country as a whole starts to look towards a future without civil war.

Islamist extremists trying to 'cleanse' Somalia of Christianity have struck again, this time murdering four charity workers.

A judge has sent two young Christian women back to jail to consider their options after they refused to deny Christ in court.

Spare a prayer for the Christians of Maiduguri, northern Nigeria. For the second time in recent years their community has been torn apart by violence.

Following various rumours about pages of the Koran being damaged by Christians in the village of Korian, 30 miles from Faisalabad, violence erupted five days later on July 30 as extremists went on the rampage. Our partners report that Muslim Clerics made loudspeaker announcements from local mosques encouraging an attack on Christians to teach them a lesson. An estimated 50 homes were looted and burnt.

Thousands of Christians took to the streets in several Vietnamese cities after police and thugs launched vicious attacks on two pastors caught up in a row over an historic church.

Another Christian prisoner of faith has died in an Eritrean prison after his guards refused him medicine – the third Christian to have died in the same jail this year.

A church pastor was brutally murdered and at least seven churches were destroyed when Islamist militants launched a campaign of violence across four states in northern Nigeria.

A partner of Release is stepping up its campaign to free Beijing lawyer Gao Zhisheng – after Chinese officials refused to accept a huge petition demanding his release.

A well-known evangelical pastor has made a desperate cry for help for his family – because the police have made them prisoners in their own home.

Islamist extremists linked to al-Qaeda appear to be hunting down and killing Christians in Somalia in a bid to 'cleanse' the country of Christianity.

Christians in Baghdad are calling on the authorities for better protection after six churches in the city were bombed over a weekend.

As evidence continues to build that Eritrea is imprisoning and torturing Christians for their faith, Release International has produced a rap CD to increase awareness and raise support for Eritrea’s persecuted believers.

Many Christian homes attacked by Hindu extremists ten months ago still bear Hindu flags – because Christians are too frightened to take them down.

Lawyers representing a Christian woman detained for smuggling North Korean refugees into China hope to strike a blow for refugees' rights.

Release partners are supporting a Christian community in Punjab where a violent mob threw acid over women and attacked homes.

Iranian Christians are hopeful that a Bill proposing the death penalty for apostasy will be scrapped for good after a parliamentary committee rejected it.

Concern is growing for Christians in Egypt following another attack on the homes of Coptic Christians. And a legal battle is taking place in Egypt to overturn a court ruling which denies the right of citizens to change their religious identity on their ID cards.

Reports are coming in from Pakistan of an attack against a Christian village. An angry mob petrol-bombed homes and threw acid over Christian women, after mosque loudspeakers accused the Christians of blasphemy.

A high-profile Christian lawyer has been arrested on charges of 'distributing propaganda against the state'.

The family of Beijing bookseller Shi Weihan are said to be ‘inconsolable’ after he was given a three-year jail sentence and a $22,000 fine for ‘illegal business practices’.

Radical Islamists in Punjab beat a young Christian man to death after he accidentally drank out of a cup reserved for Muslims at a roadside café.

The elderly patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church briefly emerged from house arrest after four years – but only to go into hospital.

Christians in Eritrea who were tortured and jailed for their faith have given searing accounts of the brutality they faced to Release International, which serves the persecuted church worldwide.

As a pregnant British woman is sentenced to life imprisonment in Laos, Release International is warning about the appalling conditions in that country’s jails.

On the twentieth anniversary of the massacre in Tiananmen Square, Chinese Christian leaders are calling for forgiveness, repentance and reconciliation. The story is covered in the video bulletin World Update on the Persecuted Church, by Release International. The report can be viewed on www.releaseinternational.org

Two families have been driven from their villages in West Java after they decided to leave Islam and become Christians.

Concern is rising for two young Iranian women sent to prison without charge – apparently for turning from Islam to Christianity.

The Indian church is helping hundreds of people in Orissa to seek compensation for the violence they suffered during last year's anti-Christian riots.

A five-year-old boy has become the latest casualty of what appears to be a concerted campaign to attack Iraqi Christians.

Bible college staff and students who were driven out of their premises in Jakarta by violent protesters ten months ago are a step closer to finding a new home.

The Chinese authorities have dismissed as a 'smear campaign' claims that their persecution of unregistered church groups intensified last year.

A group of Christians fled persecution in north-west Vietnam only to have their new church in the Central Highlands demolished – and they may soon face the same trauma again.

Three Christian women have been freed unexpectedly from jail in Eritrea – as Release urges the church to pray for greater religious freedom there.

The votes have been counted [as of May 16] in the world’s largest democracy – India. And the determination of Christians there to make democracy work can leave many of us in the UK looking jaded by comparison, writes Andrew Boyd of Release International.

There is a price to be paid for the privilege of serving the persecuted Church.
As soon as my friend Colin walked into the meeting at Release International, I could see his exhaustion in the weary way he slumped into the chair.

More than 15,000 people were allowed to attend a huge open-air Christian meeting in Ho Chi Minh City in what is being seen as a breakthrough in religious freedom for Vietnam.

The family of Beijing bookstore owner Shi Weihan face yet another agonising wait after a judge deferred a verdict on his case.

Three Christians were murdered on the same night in almost simultaneous raids on two houses in Kirkuk.

Release is calling on Christians to join in an international day of prayer for Eritrea – a nation recently branded a 'giant prison' by human rights campaigners.

Taliban-inspired militants have attacked Christians in Karachi, sparking fears that Islamists are trying to extend Sharia law across Pakistan.

The death of 11-year-old Irfan Masih in Pakistan matters more to you than you might think. Irfan Masih took a bullet during an attack by militants against a tiny Christian enclave in Karachi. The attack was said to be Taliban-inspired.

Release International can confirm the death of an 11-year-old boy in the Taliban attack against Christians in Karachi last week. Irfan Masih was shot during an attack by Taliban militia against the minority Christian community in Taiser Town, Karachi. He died later in hospital. A picture of Irfan is available by return email.

Easter celebrations in Nigeria were marred by attacks against Christians and churches in Niger State. Mobs attacked churches, houses and businesses and stabbed a Christian youth in the chest.

Four Christians have been murdered in Iraq in the space of two days – confirming the church's fears that persecution is far from over.

Life for Christians in Sudan is getting tougher – as the president's supporters suspect them of siding with prosecutors who accuse him of war crimes.

The Chinese authorities have seized Beijing pastor 'Bike' Mingxuan yet again – and threatened to kill him unless he gives up his ministry.

The outcome of elections in India over the next few weeks could be key in deciding the future for India's long-suffering Christians.

As the global call to pray for the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka goes out, Release International has received reports of death threats against a Christian pastor, and moves to halt worship services. The attacks come from Buddhists and Hindus opposed to Christianity.

Release International and leading Christian human rights organisations worldwide are launching a global campaign to pray for the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka.

Release International has just completed a half-hour documentary exposing the torture and abuse of Christians in Vietnam and Laos – two of the last remaining communist nations.

The signing of the peace deal in Swat Valley has prompted hundreds of Christians to return home – but the start of Sharia rule means they are wary of going to church.

The underground church of North Korea is preparing for growth – even as the United Nations slams Pyongyang for its continuing human rights abuses.

A church-run orphanage in Orissa was destroyed by fire when Hindu militants attacked the home for the second time in seven months.

The campaign for the release of Beijing lawyer Gao Zhisheng is gathering pace – as Release sources suggest he may be suffering torture.

Concern is growing for a Chinese Christian who has been imprisoned for 15 months without trial, as evidence emerges that his health is deteriorating. Release International highlights the story of Uyghur Christian Alimujiang Yimiti in the latest edition of its award-winning webcast World Update on the Persecuted Church.

Brutal attacks were launched on three church leaders in the space of four days – just as Indian Christians demanded tougher penalties for anyone attacking their community.

The courts have dismissed blasphemy charges against a Christian rights activist from Islamabad – but he remains in jail as investigators decide if there is a case to answer.

Concern is growing for a Vietnamese Christian who has not been seen since officials seized her in the Central Highlands a year ago.

Communist officials in Xinjiang province will decide the fate of Uyghur Christian Alimjan Yimit, detained for the past 14 months despite a judge dismissing his case.

The debate on the draft religious conversion Bill entitled Prohibition of Forcible Conversion of Religion in Sri Lanka's parliament has been deferred amid opposition from Christians.

The Burmese army is targeting the mostly Christian Chin people with forced labour, arbitrary arrest and even physical assault, according to a major new report.

One woman was killed and 17 other people were injured when a gang brandishing guns and wooden clubs attacked Christians in Sangowali village in Punjab.

Hindu nationalists are planning to bring in controversial 'anti-conversion' laws in one of the Indian states worst hit by recent anti-Christian riots.

Hundreds of Christians in Bauchi city in central Nigeria are now homeless and a curfew is in place after a wave of violence swept the state capital.

Gunmen have attacked Christians in Pakistan, killing one woman and injuring 17, according to reports reaching Release International. 

Release International has launched a petition and is calling a day of prayer on behalf of persecuted Christians in Eritrea. The Day of Prayer is May 24 2009 – Eritrea’s National Day. 

Christians in Orissa who lost their homes in last year's violence fear they may now find themselves unable to vote in the forthcoming elections.

An American missionary group has opened an 'underground university' in South Korea to train North Korean Christians to spread the gospel among their compatriots.

A Nigerian father-of-six has been freed from jail early after an appeal court ruled his conviction for blasphemy by a Sharia court was unsafe.

Shuang Shuying's dying husband clung on to life until she was released from jail – but he passed away the following day.

The husband of a 79-year-old Chinese Christian has died the day after she was set free from jail. The authorities earlier withheld permission for Shuang Shuying to leave jail to pay her last respects to her dying husband. It’s claimed they would only let her go if she betrayed other Christians. 

Christians in Rangoon are already being forced to meet in secret – after the authorities banned church meetings in private homes.

Islamist hardliners in Indonesia have announced a fatwa declaring that only a Muslim could be president – much to the alarm of the nation's Christians.

Several Christians were arrested on the same day in Tehran as part of what appears to be a nationwide crackdown on the church.

Angry mobs have surrounded the courthouse where a Christian human rights activist is on trial for sending a 'blasphemous text' on his mobile.

How quickly arguments can get out of hand – especially where children are involved. And a squabble between kids can become a spat between families, when parents get drawn in and heated words are exchanged. But it’s not every day that a squabble leads to a neighbourhood riot and a family facing a possible death sentence.

A 79-year-old woman who was imprisoned in China for her Christian faith describes being tortured by her guards. Shuang Shuying says they forced her to drink her own urine and stand naked in a mosquito-infested prison yard.

The authorities in Rangoon have banned church meetings in private homes – effectively shutting down most churches in the city.

Blasphemy charges against a Christian teenager and four of his relatives have finally been thrown out by a judge – after an agonising wait of almost two years.

Elderly Christian prisoner Shuang Shuying has been denied permission to visit her dying husband – even though she is due to be freed within a fortnight.

Sri Lankan churches are urging Christians worldwide to lobby the Government in Colombo against an anti-conversion Bill which could become law imminently.

There comes a point on most reporting trips when I get angry. Usually about the injustice and brutality meted out to those God loves. I reached that point in Vietnam, reporting for Release International, when I listened to Silas, Deborah and Esther.

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A Christian prisoner is appealing for his jail sentence to be commuted because he is now partially paralysed after being tortured in custody.

Christians in Orissa feared a violent Christmas – but have instead been celebrating the first signs of an interfaith push for peace in the troubled state.

The Eritrean authorities have detained scores of Christians in what appears to be a fresh wave of mass arrests.

Christians in Orissa, India, have been breathing a sigh of relief after threats of Christmas violence failed to materialise. Militants want to halt the growing numbers of India’s underclass who are converting to Christianity.

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The wife of a Christian pastor murdered in the recent wave of violence in the city of Jos says she forgives his killers.

Orissa's chief minister has banned a strike which Hindu extremists are planning for Christmas Day – and threatened tough penalties for anyone disrupting the peace.

Hundreds of troops were deployed to a Central Maluku province to quell riots which began after a Christian teacher was accused of blasphemy.

Two Chinese pastors will be spending Christmas at home with their families unexpectedly after being released early from jail. Pastor Wang Weiliang and Pastor Zhu Baoguo have both been freed early 'for medical reasons'.

Escalating tensions between North Korea and its neighbours have sparked fears of even greater repression inside the 'hermit kingdom'.

Officials in Orissa are forcing Christians in relief camps to return to their villages – without doing anything to repair their homes or protect them from further attacks.

The Chinese authorities have told Pastor 'Bike' Mingxuan that his Chinese House Church Alliance has been abolished.

Uyghur house church leader Alimjan Yimit is still languishing in jail in Xinjiang province and awaiting a new court date – ten months after his arrest.

A Christian doctor on trial for 'blasphemy' has been freed after his accuser backed down in court.

Hindu militants are said to be offering rewards for killing Christians in Orissa – as Hindu politicians turn up the pressure on Christians with talk of a national anti-conversion law.

Iraqi Christians' hopes of peace being restored in the northern city of Mosul have been dashed by the murder of two Christian sisters.

Two Christians acquitted of apostasy in Iran say the ruling was based on false claims by the court that they were in fact still Muslims.

The Chinese authorities seem to be turning up the pressure on unregistered house churches – confirming fears of a crackdown after the Beijing Olympics.

Release International is calling on Christians to make Pakistan their focus for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on November 16. Release is highlighting the plight of Christian women, who are denied full legal rights in Pakistan.

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A pastor from Punjab has been beaten up by police five times since April and is now receiving death threats.

Beijing pastor 'Bike' Zhang Mingxuan’s brief respite from harassment has ended abruptly: he has been arrested, his house church has been shut down and his son brutally attacked.

Radical Muslims have launched a terror campaign against Christians in the city of Mosul in northern Iraq – killing believers, bombing their homes and forcing thousands to flee.

News and prayer points each fortnight on persecuted Christians around the world. Iraq, China, India, Pakistan.

The Iranian authorities have released on bail the son of a Christian pastor who was hanged for converting to Christianity. Ramtin Soodmand, a leader in the Evangelical Church of Iran in Mashhad, is charged with anti-government activities. He was released on bail yesterday (Wednesday October 22) and has since been reunited with his wife and two children.

News and prayer points each fortnight on persecuted Christians around the world. This edition: Iran, India, China and Vietnam.

A prominent church leader hounded out of his Beijing home during the Olympics has been able to worship with his congregation for the first time in months.

After months of demonstrations and prayer vigils over confiscated church land in Hanoi, the authorities have finally snapped and bulldozed an historic church building.

The death toll continues to rise as extremists extend their anti-Christian rampage across 12 Indian states.

Two Iranian Christians facing possible execution for leaving Islam have been freed by the courts – but more than 40 other believers like them are behind bars.

Fears are growing for two Iranian Christians as Tehran moves closer to imposing a mandatory death penalty on anyone leaving Islam.

Hopes of reform in North Korea are probably premature, warned RI sources, following news that dictator Kim Jong-il may be seriously ill.

Members of a Christian organisation locked in a land row with a private firm in Jakarta are being attacked and threatened by officials sent in to mediate.

India's national government is threatening to impose emergency rule on two states unless they stop anti-Christian violence which has raged for six weeks.

Breaking news… India violence against Christians spreads to 12 states... 57 killed and 50,000 homeless in Orissa alone, according to All India Christian Council… March in London on Saturday to petition Gordon Brown and press the Indian government to stop the violence

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Christian human rights organisation, Release International, is celebrating 40 years of championing and supporting persecuted Christians around the globe, with presentations in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Their Voices Cry Out will take place at venues in London, Belfast and Glasgow in October and November.

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An 85-year-old Christian fighting for justice for his murdered wife has so far been thwarted by anti-Christian bias in Pakistan's legal system.

Hundreds of Christian students and staff forced to flee their college by violent protesters now have nowhere to go after being asked to leave the campsite where they took refuge.

Campaigners are demanding the immediate release of Beijing bookseller Shi Weihan whose health has deteriorated so badly in custody that he is now 'unrecognisable'.

At least 56 people have been killed and tens of thousands forced to flee their homes as the ‘worst ever riots against Christians’ rock the state of Orissa.

·        India – ‘Worst ever’ anti-Christian riots in Orissa

·        China – Jailed Christian bookseller’s health failing

·        Indonesia – Students driven from campus told to leave

·        Pakistan – 85-yr-old fights for justice over his murdered wife
 

A high-ranking inspector has stepped in to investigate the death of a young Christian after an RI partner refuted earlier police claims that he had committed suicide.

Hundreds of Christian theology students have been living in tents since a Muslim mob stormed their college in July armed with bamboo spears, acid and Molotov cocktails.

Islamist radicals in Kwara state have launched several attacks on Christians, accusing them of praying for the death of one of their spiritual leaders.

The Beijing Olympics may have won international praise but it's been a tough few weeks for China's Christians - and things could soon get tougher yet.

Government troops have attacked extremists in north-west Pakistan responsible for kidnapping a group of Christians – but churches now fear a backlash.

Hardline Islamic groups are wielding ever-increasing influence over Indonesia’s politics, according to a new report.

Beijing activist and house church leader Hua Huiqi has been evicted from his home amid rumours that officials want to keep him away from next month’s Olympic Games.

The body of a Christian teenager has been dragged out of a canal in Pakistan – he was allegedly tortured to death in an ‘honour killing’ for seeing a Muslim girl.

Local officials and an Islamist mob joined forces to try to pull down part of a church compound – three years after Christians were forced out.

The president of the Chinese House Church Alliance and his interpreter were arrested on their way to meet with a senior EU official in Beijing.

Taliban militants in Pakistan’s north-west have apologised for abducting 16 Christians – in what some see as a cynical ploy to prove they are fit to rule in the region.

Northern and southern politicians have taken joint decisive action to try to head off an escalation of violence along the north-south border.

The Vietnamese authorities are suspected of hiring thugs to harass Christian protestors calling for the return of land confiscated 50 years ago.

The release of several Taliban militants in North West Frontier Province has paved the way for Sharia law and the 'Talibanisation' of the region.

Simmering tensions between Muslims and Christians in Papua are threatening to erupt into violence, according to a report by the International Crisis Group (ICG).

The Eritrean authorities are rumoured to be planning to press formal charges of treason against several Christian pastors held without charge for the past four years.

Nine Christians in China's Henan province have been detained for helping people affected by the devastating Sichuan earthquake.

The disputed border town of Abyei has been the scene of fierce fighting between former southern rebels and the northern army.

The All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) has tabled a bill calling for more seats for non-Muslims in the Senate and in national and provincial assemblies.

Vietnamese officials have seized a Christian evangelist's property because his testimony as a former opium addict is winning scores of families for Christ.

A Chinese court will today begin proceedings against an Uyghur Christian who faces a possible death sentence for 'endangering national security'.

A Christian doctor is behind bars and his family is in hiding in Pakistan after a local Muslim accused him of insulting Islam.

Muslim leaders in Nigeria are calling for blasphemy laws which, Christians say, will legitimise attacks on their community.

A Christian clothes trader accused of blasphemy by his own relatives after he shared his faith with customers has been freed from jail.

There are signs that things are getting tougher for Christians in China in the run-up to the Olympic Games. A new report says China is clamping down on any potential dissent to try to portray a peaceful and harmonious image to the rest of the world.

Sudan is holding a national census to help determine how power and wealth is divided between north and south ahead of next year's elections.

Vietnamese evangelicals have broken their silence and made a public plea for global action on behalf of the suffering church in Vietnam.

Officials in a troubled corner of Pakistan have agreed to the introduction of Sharia law as part of a ceasefire deal with Islamist extremists.

A spate of recent arrests in Xinjiang suggests that China will not easily be cowed by international pressure to clean up its religious rights record before the Olympics.

The extent of anti-Christian feeling in Indonesia has been brought into sharp focus by a report documenting church closures.

Christians in Khartoum are battling to keep their only official cemetery in the city from the clutches of market stallholders and second-hand car salesmen.

The Chinese authorities have freed Xinjiang house church leader Zhou Heng after holding him for more than six months on suspicion of 'illegal business practices'.

Nigerian Christians are furious that their government appears to have signed up in secret to become a member of the Organisation of The Islamic Conference (OIC).

An Islamist terror network responsible for many crimes against Christians in Central Sulawesi may be resurfacing – via a publishing network.

Thousands of Christians brought the city of Gujranwala to a standstill with a noisy protest over an attack on a church.

Release International is increasingly concerned about 15 Hmong Christian families arrested in Laos, who could be repatriated to Vietnam.

Islamist radicals are making life increasingly difficult for churches and Christian organisations across Indonesia, forcing many to close.

Officials seized 11 teenagers at an 'illegal’ Bible study – as the Chinese authorities made elaborate efforts to prepare religious services for Olympic athletes in Beijing.

Northern Sudan has again been accused of provoking clashes with southerners to try to delay a decision on the north-south border demarcation.

Christians in Vietnam are being targeted as ‘agents of America’. They describe torture and near starvation as the authorities threaten to kill them slowly. Release International has completed a fact-finding visit and finds the Vietnam War is still rumbling on – with Christians now regarded as the enemy.

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Release International is deeply concerned for the safety of 15 Christian families who have been rounded up and arrested in the communist nation of Laos. A Release investigation team has just returned from Laos and found evidence of the severe persecution of Christians.

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A Christian has been executed by hanging in Pakistan. He is widely believed to be innocent and to have been made a scapegoat for a murder he did not commit. He only confessed to the crime after prolonged severe torture.

A Christian policeman is dead and two teenagers are recovering from serious injuries after Muslim pupils devised a violent plot to force Christians out of their high school.

The Karen people of eastern Burma say they will be wiped out by army troops unless the world comes to their rescue.

The recent arrests of ethnic Uyghur Christians have aroused suspicions that the Chinese authorities are waging a concerted campaign against them.

The gunman who shot dead a young Christian evangelist in Pakistan used his victim's mobile phone to tell his family he had been murdered.

A Christian aid worker sparked a major diplomatic incident when he was arrested in North Korea apparently because of 'his religious views'.

The director of a labour camp has apologised for wrongfully jailing a group of Christians freed in a humiliating U-turn for the Chinese authorities.

The authorities in Gansu province have arrested two of China's most highly respected house church leaders.

Extremists have shot dead a Christian in Punjab after apparently mistaking him for his brother who was accused of blasphemy 10 years ago.

The mothers of two schoolgirls beheaded in Poso have again shown forgiveness to their daughters' killers – as three extremists begin long jail sentences for their murder.

Mistrust between northern and southern partners in Sudan’s unity government appears to be deepening, amid border skirmishes and broken promises.

Three prominent church leaders have been sentenced to death on murder charges -- despite claims they are innocent and only confessed under torture.

Christians in eastern Nigeria have been tipped off that the local authorities may try to seize land that the church has bought for a mission school.

The relatives of three church leaders executed without their families' knowledge have expressed their grief and anger at being kept in the dark.

A new bylaw will require the people of West Sumatra to sit Koranic exams to graduate from school and even to get married -- regardless of their religion.

Taliban members in North Waziristan have warned of 'serious repercussions' for people engaging in 'un-Islamic activities'.

The Chinese authorities have arrested at least 12 pastors and house church leaders over the past month.

The families of nine house church leaders missing since August have just been told they have been sent to labour camps in Hubei.

A Montagnard Christian has died in police custody in Vietnam, apparently after torture during interrogation.

Two Muslim seminarians from Punjab have been jailed for 25 years for their part in the murder of a Christian youth whom they tried to convert to Islam.

Fourteen churches in one town have been earmarked for demolition in one of Nigeria's northern Sharia states.

Vietnam has defied its critics by giving long jail sentences to two high-profile Christian lawyers, so stifling yet more voices of dissent.

Pakistan's beleaguered Christians will be at even greater risk of attack under a state of emergency, RI's
partners warn.

Activists have condemned the Chinese authorities for using a secret court to convict Beijing house church leader Hua Huiqi.

The brutal treatment of Christians accused of blasphemy has been brought into fresh focus with the stories of two different Pakistani men.

A Christian woman has been accused of blasphemy and forced to flee her home in Kasur district.

Armed militants have attacked the home of an Anglican bishop in Kaduna state -- for the fourth time in a year.

The torture of four missionaries in China's Yunan province has provoked a wave of international protest.

Eight house churches in a housing complex in West Java received official letters on the same day ordering them to stop meeting.

Each church in the Rancaekek Kencana complex in Bandung was told that private homes should not be used as worship venues.

A prominent religious rights lawyer from Beijing has survived an assassination attempt.

Gao Zhisheng, whose clients have included Pastor Cai Zhuohua, was driving in the north-west of the Chinese capital when a car stopped suddenly in front of him. Gao narrowly missed hitting the vehicle and got out of his car to remonstrate. The driver of the other car then tried to run Gao down, but failed as the lawyer dodged out of its path.

As police tanks patrol the streets of Nigeria to prevent further attacks against Christians, a major new TV documentary on the persecuted Church in Nigeria is to be screened on satellite TV next week. The Remains of the Day, a co-production by Release International, Christian Solidarity Worldwide and The Voice of the Martyrs Canada, is being broadcast on Genesis and Revelation TV on Sky on November 20 and 21.

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Militant Muslims have attacked two Christian villages in Pakistan. In the first they objected to prayers being relayed through the loudspeaker of the only church in the village. In response they used the loudspeakers of seven mosques to broadcast a call to war against Christians. In the second attack mosque loudspeakers were used to call on Muslims to come out of their homes and seize land belonging to Christians.

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There are concerns that Christian leaders could be targeted by the military regime in Burma, as the crackdown continues - and that the death toll may be far higher than officially admitted. 

The authorities acknowledge killing ten people on the streets of Rangoon, but a Release International partner claims the death toll is ‘hundreds’.

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As religious violence breaks out again in Nigeria in a row over cartoons of Mohammed, a Christian student has been describing how he had to run for his life after being accused of making a drawing of the Muslim prophet.

According to reports from Kano State, at least nine Christians were killed and churches, businesses and homes were burned after rumours that Christians had drawn a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed and displayed it on a wall of a mosque. Under Islam any depiction of God or Mohammed is considered blasphemous.

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A Pakistan Christian who was acquitted of blasphemy is still in hiding almost a year after charges were dropped - because Muslim militants are trying to kill him. And a 16-year-old boy is now a fugitive in fear of his life – after a squabble with another schoolboy led to accusations of blasphemy. Both cases highlight the reason Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws must be repealed.

The Bishop of Jos in Nigeria, who has survived another attack on his family, says he will continue to stand for the gospel to the end: ‘My belief is until my time is up I will not die, so I’ll continue to say what I know as a fact and truth and I will continue to stand on the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is worth living for – and it is worth dying for.’

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A former Islamic leader in Ethiopia has been describing how he found faith in Christ after Jesus appeared to him in a dream. After Robel’s conversion, militants destroyed his house and stabbed his son with a spear. His life is now at risk - but even though he’s been offered riches to return to Islam he prefers to follow Jesus.

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A Burmese pastor has been describing how the military regime made him tear down his orphanage stone by stone, forcing the children in his care to live in a tent - in the ruins of their former home.

A former Imam is warning that extremists are aiming to establish sharia law in the UK - and that Britain has become the world ‘number one target’ for Islamic strategists.

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Christian representatives in Pakistan are calling for urgent prayer to prevent a feared backlash against Christians following clashes between security forces and Islamist militants in the capital. At least seven people have died after a tense standoff erupted into violence at the Lal Masjid mosque in the capital Islamabad. The mosque is linked with two Madrassas (Islamic schools).

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Christians living in the village of Shanti Nagar in Pakistan have received hand-written threats warning them to convert to Islam or die. Ten years ago a 30,000-strong mob of militant Muslims destroyed 13 churches and 800 houses belonging to Christians. The death threats raise fears they could strike again.

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A sick and elderly Chinese mother who’s been jailed for two years’ has had to be moved to a medical centre because of her rapidly deteriorating health. The authorities sentenced 75-year-old Shuang Shuying in February on what observers believe are charges intended to intimidate her family. They include her son, Christian human rights activist Hua Huiqi, who’s in detention.

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Persecution Now is the weekly bulletin of Release International, giving the latest news of the persecuted Church. Top story – China: A 75-year-old woman who has been jailed for two years’ has had to be moved to a medical centre because of growing fears for her health. Shuang Shuying’s condition is said to be ‘very serious’. Her son, Hua Huiqi, has campaigned on behalf of the poor and against the closure of Chinese house churches. The authorities arrested him in January. Observers believe they have arrested his mother to put pressure on the family.

Additional sources are given in brackets. Further details from these sources.

Top story - Iraq: The head of the Chaldean Church has condemned the governing coalition and occupying forces for standing by while Christians are forced to flee the country. Patriarch Emmanuel III said that Christians were ‘chased out of their homes before the very eyes of those who are supposed to be responsible for their safety’.

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Persecution Now is the weekly bulletin of Release International, giving the latest news of the persecuted Church. Top story - Turkey: A senior Turkish official is claiming ‘missionaries are more dangerous than terror organisations’. This comes as police arrest four Christian evangelists in Istanbul, and while Turkey is still reeling from the murder trial of militants who tortured and killed three Christians. Additional sources are given in brackets. Further details from these sources.

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Two Pakistan Christians have been taken into protective custody today to protect them from militants who believe they are guilty of blasphemy and want to kill them. Five Christians have been charged with blasphemy and others are linked with a case that has already led to a mob attack on a Christian colony in Punjab. Release International is calling for the repeal of Pakistan's notorious blasphemy laws.

Persecution Now is the weekly bulletin of Release International, giving the latest news of the persecuted Church. Top story - Turkey: Church leaders claim growing nationalism and religious intolerance is behind the murders of three workers at a Christian publishing house. The attackers bound their hands and feet and cut their throats. The publishing manager said militants threatened his staff and accused them of being involved in missionary activity. Police have arrested five suspects.

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Despite the hard-line Islamist regime in Iran the underground Church is growing. Evangelists are sharing t