Release International

Persecution Now

India: Police have arrested 22 Christians, accusing them of insulting Hinduism and trying to bribe Hindus to change their faith. This follows a spate of similar incidents in the first three months of the year.

Police charged the 22 Christians with ‘wounding religious feelings, house trespass and disturbing the peace’.

Six Indian states now have anti-conversion laws, reflecting an upsurge in Hindu nationalism and a culture of intolerance towards Christianity.

The laws ban offering financial incentives to switch faiths, which seems reasonable. But the promise of heaven could be seen as an inducement to convert – as could any charitable work by Christians. Commentators believe the law is being used as a smokescreen for religious persecution (Compass Direct News).

Turkmenistan’s secret police are putting pressure on two Protestant Christians.

The first has returned to the country after being deported for religious activities. The second wants to leave Turkmenistan to join his pregnant wife in America. She says the authorities are standing in his way to punish him for being a leader in his local Protestant church.

Since 2001 the state has declared the religious activities of all Protestant, Muslim, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Hare Krishna communities to be illegal.

And there are growing fears in neighbouring Kazakhstan about the freedom for religious minorities, including Christians (Forum 18).

China: Release International has launched an internet video campaign to free the 75-year-old mother of a Christian leader jailed by the Chinese authorities.

Concern is growing for Shuang Shuying, who is frail and elderly, after Chinese Olympic Games police kicked her and arrested her. Observers say she’s been jailed for two years to punish her son - a human-rights activist and pastor in a Beijing underground church.

Release International has created a 1-minute video that can be emailed across the Internet. The aim is to put pressure on the Chinese authorities to release Shuang in the build-up to the Olympic Games. You can download it from: www.prisoneralert.tv

Release International CEO Andy Dipper: ‘With the Olympic Games fast approaching, the world is watching China right now. When China was awarded the Games questions were rightly asked about its human rights record. Those questions are coming back loud and clear today. Why throw an elderly woman in poor health into jail? Is it because her son is a pastor, who campaigns on behalf of the poor and persecuted? What does an emerging superpower have to fear from Christianity? China – the world is watching – let this woman go.’

Release International serves the persecuted Church in 30 nations. For video reports download our monthly webcast ­ - World Update - available from the Release International website: www.releaseinternational.org 

ENDS

Notes to the Editor

Additional sources:

www.compassdirect.org 

www.forum18.org

For further information, please contact Andrew Boyd on 01730 301905 or Release International on 01689 823491 or by email at info@releaseinternational.org

Through our international network of missions RI serves persecuted Christians in 30 countries, supporting pastors and Christian prisoners and their families, supplying Christian literature and Bibles, and working for justice. RI is a member of the UK organisations Global Connections, the Evangelical Alliance and the Micah Network.

Back to top