Release International

Persecution Now is the weekly bulletin of Release International, giving the latest news of the persecuted Church. 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’.

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

Persecution Now

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’.

He condemned Iraqi leaders for ‘doing nothing’ to stop this. And he criticised parties to the conflict for destroying churches ‘without any respect’ for Christians’ faith. Last December, a spokesman for the UNHCR said there was now ‘clear evidence’ that Christians were being persecuted.

The number of Christians in Iraq has halved since 1991, and there are suggestions of forming a Christian enclave within the Kurdish region (International Christian Concern).

India: Hindu militants have spread fear by attacking Christians in their churches while being filmed by TV cameras.

In Rajasthan, 20 Hindu extremists attacked a pastor in his home in front of his wife and seven-year-old daughter. They ransacked the house and dragged him into the street. The local media is under police investigation, as TV cameras were called out to record the incident.

And in a similar attack in Maharashtra state, Hindu extremists dragged two Christians from a church where they were leading a baptism service. They beat them and took them to the police station. Again, local TV crews were invited to film the attack.

This represents a fresh development in the ongoing intimidation of Christians in many Indian states (Compass Direct, Voice of the Martyrs Canada).

Uzbekistan: the authorities claim that detained pastor Dmitry Shestakov has waived his right to an appeal in court and has actually asked to be sent to jail.

The young pastor was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment because of his religious activities. He immediately lodged an appeal which should have been heard within a month of his trial, according to Uzbek law.

But this failed to happen and now friends of the pastor are worried for his safety and his health (Forum 18).

Eritrea: authorities arrested 80 Christians – including two Americans – at the end of a service in a Presbyterian church.

After four days police released the Americans, but are still detaining many of the local Christians. They include the head of the Eritrean Evangelical Alliance, the Rev Zecharias Abraham.

The attack came just five days after the Eritrean government appointed the fourth patriarch to the Orthodox Church – against the Church’s wishes.

The official head of the Orthodox Church – Patriarch Antonios – was stripped of his office in 2005 (Compass Direct).

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.persecution.org
www.compassdirect.org 
www.persecution.net
www.forum18.org

This is the penultimate edition of Persecution Now in this series. Our final bulletin will be released next Friday.

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.

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