China hires agents to spy on churches

China turns pastors into political pawns

The Chinese government is reportedly employing ordinary citizens as paid informants to report on church activities, in addition to police and secret services.

According to China Aid, a church elder from Kaifeng, Henan, said that officials in his area recruit one person from each village to spy on churches. He also said the spies are supposed to report Christians who take children to church. Read More

Suspicious death of Christian Chinese lawyer

“Bold and compassionate”: the late Dr Li Baiguang (left) defended Chinese pastors

An internationally-recognised Chinese human rights lawyer has died suddenly under suspicious circumstances.

Dr Li Baiguang, 49, an outspoken legal advocate for Christian pastors under arrest, is said … Read More

It’s ‘Year of the underdog’ for millions of Chinese Christians

As crosses are torn down, churches demolished and pastors arrested, persecution is set to reach highest level “since Cultural Revolution”

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Persecution Watch Oct – Nov 2017

Rebuilding hope in Iraq

Christians are slowly returning to the town of Karamles in Iraq after Islamic State (ISIS) was ousted.

Over half of the houses in the town are either piles of rubble or completely burnt out, but 250 families have signed up to return. With the help of Christian charity Open Doors, 30 houses have so far been restored, with 20 more in the pipeline. However, the returnees get no help from the government. Read More

PERSECUTION WATCH: APRIL – MAY 2017

Somalian family attacked in their sleep

Terrorists wound father, kill wife and son

Al Shabaab militants in Somalia – affiliated with Al Qaeda

Islamic extremists in Somalia shot a Christian family as they slept, seriously wounding the husband and killing his wife and 11-year-old son.

The militants broke into the family’s home in Afgoi, about 30k from Mogadishu, at dawn. According to Morning Star News, at least four armed men carried out the attack in February, shouting the jihadist slogan, “Allahhu Akbar (Allah is greater)” and saying, “We cannot allow the defiling of our religion with a foreign, Western religion.” Read More

Release International has joined leading jurists from around the world in calling on China to stop the torture of human rights lawyers

Leading jurists from around the world are calling on China to stop the torture of its human rights lawyers, many of whom are Christians.

Lawyers who have been tortured include Li Chunfu who has just been released on bail. The Christian is showing signs of trauma and severe mental breakdown after his ordeal, which is said to have included torture by electric shock batons. Read More

PERSECUTION WATCH: FEBRUARY – MARCH 2017

Suffering Christians: an average of five churches are attacked every Sunday in Nigeria

Plea to halt genocide in Nigeria

Christian leaders and human rights campaigners in Nigeria are warning that the systematic Islamist attacks in northern Nigeria are aimed at … Read More

REVIVAL HITS STATE CHURCHES IN CHINA

100 metre queues for services

It is illegal for under-18s to attend state churches in China, but many of these churches are now seeing young people attend

An unprecedented Christian revival is happening among communist-controlled government churches in some regions of China. Read More

PERSECUTION WATCH Oct – Nov 2016

Girl kidnapped by ISIS appears on Facebook

Two years after her abduction by ISIS, little Christine, whose kidnap we reported in HEART, is still missing – but hopes rose for her mother when her daughter’s photo appeared on Facebook.

At least … Read More

FEARS THAT EVERY CHURCH CROSS IN ZHEJIANG, CHINA, COULD BE DEMOLISHED BY EASTER

Petition to free Christian lawyer Zhang Kai

As China continues to tear down crosses from churches in Zhejiang there are fears that every church cross in the province could be demolished by Easter.

Release International, which supports persecuted Christians, fears cross demolitions in Zhejiang and the growing crackdown against prominent Christians could be set to spread across China. Read More