Russian soldiers and occupation officials have committed at least 76 acts of religious persecution in Ukraine since the invasion of February 2022 as part of an attempt to destroy national identity, official and church sources said at the International Religious Freedom Summit.
Vietnam improved from 24th to 35th place in Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List (WWL) of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, but the U.S. government was not so generous regarding its religious freedom record, placing the country on its Special Watch List on Jan. 4 for the second year in a row.
Recent Muslim extremist attacks in an area of central Nigeria resulted in dozens of deaths and the closure of 10 Baptist churches, including one now used as a mosque, a denominational leader said.
The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for a shooting at a Catholic church service in Istanbul, Turkey on Sunday (Jan. 28) that killed a Muslim citizen, news agencies reported.
Pastor Keshab Raj Acharya faces a one-year prison sentence for his religious activities, marking a significant setback for religious freedom in Nepal, after the country’s Supreme Court upheld a previous judgment against the pastor, who now awaits the court’s response to his appeal for converting the sentence into a fine.
Police intimidation and lax investigations into Islamist rioting that destroyed scores of Christian homes and businesses in Jaranwala, Pakistan in August has dampened hopes of justice for the victims, sources said.
Militants from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed one Christian on Saturday (Jan. 20) and beat another unconscious on Monday (Jan. 22) in Omdurman, Sudan, sources said.
Following the killing of 10 Christians in Benue state, Nigeria earlier this month, another five were slain in subsequent attacks in another area, sources said.
Fulani herdsmen and other terrorists attacked villages in Plateau state, Nigeria at about 12:30 a.m. today (Jan. 24), killing at least 25 Christians, area residents said.
A Muslim in Uganda who put his faith in Christ as the new year began has suffered serious injuries and lost his home and family, sources said.
Amid media reports of staff disgruntled with a hiring policy change, the international Evangelical foster and immigrant resettlement charity Bethany Christian Services has confirmed that it only hires Christians who align with its core beliefs and doesn't allow them to promote political causes in the workplace.
A Muslim teacher at an Islamic school in eastern Uganda who became a Christian on Oct. 4 was killed on Oct. 21, area sources said.
