30
April
Cult of Covid v. Gracelife Church
There has been a lot of interest in the case of James Coates and GraceLife church – here is a video that lays out the case that has been built by the Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms, Coate’s legal represesntatives.
29
April
Dozens Killed In Stampede At Jewish Religious Festival In Israel
Sympathy for the victims at a religious festival in Israel where first mass religious gathering to be held legally since Israel lifted pandemic restrictions, was marred by a stampede that killed over 40 people.
28
April
Campaign Launched to Discredit Christian Groups in Nepal
In a ploy to revoke registration of Christian organizations and shrink their influence, Hindu extremists in Nepal have forged a document as if from Christian groups portraying them as seeking ethnic divisions to gain converts, sources said.
28
April
Christian pastor arrested for making 'homophobic statements' after preaching from the Bible
Elderly Christian pastor in London, England says he was treated 'shamefully' after being arrested for making 'homophobic statements' after preaching from the Bible.
27
April
Governments Don't Get a Pass on Violating Religious Freedom in a Pandemic
While the pandemic prevented our team from meeting in-person with victims of religious persecution, abusive governments around the world do not get a free pass to deny the fundamental right of freedom of religion or belief.
15
April
Protect religious symbols in African conflict zones
Religious sites, artifacts and symbols are often targeted by extremists in their attacks on other communities in order to weaken opposition.
20
March
Kyrgyzstan modeling its new Constitution on Russia
A close watch needs to be kept to ensure that religious minorities are not subjected to the same persecution that they face from Moscow.
08
March
Biden Fires Attorney Who Defended Religious Liberty of Employees
Did President Biden at his inauguration really say,’ ‘The right to dissent peaceably, within the guardrails of our Republic, is perhaps our nation’s greatest strength.’ If so he needs to reconsider this decision.
05
March
Global support calls for Iran to return ancestral lands to Bahá’ís
A global campaign is demanding Iran return ancestral lands which were illegally confiscated solely because of the landowners’ religious beliefs.
24
January
Violating Rights: Enforcing the World’s Blasphemy Laws
For more information on blasphemy laws around the world, please see USCIRF's recent comprehensive report.
24
January
China brings its cruel crackdown on Uighur advocates to the U.S.
I have had the privilege of meeting with Ziba Murat and Rushan Abbas to hear their agonizing story - of a elderly relative, a retired medical doctor being punished by the Chinese regime because they dare to speak up about the Uighur persecution.
24
January
Turkish Parliamentary approves extradition with China in its hunt for Uyghur refugees
China continues to expand its global reach to punish those who dare to speak out about the regime’s abuses.
24
January
USCIRF Condemns Harsh Sentence for Christian Bookseller in China
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemns the harsh and disproportionate sentence handed down to Chinese Christian bookseller Chen Yu.
24
January
Attacks on Christian churches at Christmas in Nigeria results in death and destruction
We need to keep reminding the world of the impact of hatred – Boko Haram continues its campaign of viciousness
06
January
A region in Sudan is allowing the construction of church buildings
The Governor of Sudan’s Gezira state, Abdalla Ali Ahmed Idriss, has authorized the construction of four church buildings and has granted land for the construction, in what is a unique historic development.
05
January
Treasure Hunters Damage Chapel in Turkey
Turkey now has a dubious reputation for limiting rights of religious and cultural minorities. Rhetoric used by political figures appears to validate social perceptions about Christians that lead to treasure hunting and other types of challenges.
04
January
Indonesia Bans Hardline Muslim Group FPI
The security minister of Indonesia has announced that the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) was being disbanded for violating the law and disrupting peace and security.
31
December
Hindu temple demolished in Pakistan province
Another example of the failure of Pakistan to put in place the controls to limit extremism.
30
December
USCIRF Calls for Release of Ramy Kamel
Coptic activist Ramy Kamel was arrested in late 2019 by Egyptian authorities and has been held in pretrial detention since. This call for his release comes following news of his rapidly declining health.
30
December
Legal Restrictions to Religious Freedom in Brunei
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom has done a series of excellent reports on specific nations and their activities on religious freedom. Here is a recent Spotlight episode on Brunei
19
December
Intolerance in India continues to grow
The failure of government leaders to condemn acts of violence on minorities has contributed to growing fears amongst faith groups.
Government officials in Shanxi’s Taiyuan city destroyed a temple’s religious books and threw them to the trash.
15
December
The Chinese government has turned up the pressure on Christians withing China
After banning anyone under 18 from even entering a church building they are now going after printed material. Books that were previously published are now being used as evidence to sentence printers and authors to long term prison sentence.
14
December
Boko Haram claims attack in Niger that killed dozens
Attacks by Boko Haram in northeastern spread to neighbouring countries such as Niger, Cameroon and Chad. Here is the account of a preChristmas attack in Niger
14
December
Christmas in China’s prison cells
Here is a tribute to so many in China who were paying a price this Christmas for their courage.
09
December
It's Time to Get Concerned About Russia
Russian persecution of religious minorities has continued to accelerate over the last year. While the evidence is abundant, the consequences have been minimal and Russia has only accelerated its persecution in recent years.