VIETNAM | Lawyer Sentenced to 15 Years 4.5.18
Six Vietnamese defendants, tried on April 5, were sentenced to 7-15 years in prison for activities against the state. Christian human rights lawyer... READ THIS STORY
VIETNAM | Religious Freedom Defenders Stand Trial 4.3.18
Six Vietnamese defendants, including Christian human rights lawyer and pro-democracy activist Nguyen Van Dai, pastor and activist Nguyen Trung Ton and legal expert Nguyen Bac Truyen, will stand trial... READ THIS STORY
PAKISTAN | Men Acquitted of Murdering Christian Couple 3.28.18
On March 24, an anti-terrorism court in Lahore, Pakistan, acquitted 20 men accused in the murder of Christian couple, Shama and Shezad Masih, who were burned... READ THIS STORY
NIGERIA | Call to Prayer for Sharibu 3.26.18
Churches worldwide held prayers March 25 in response to a call to prayer issued by the Christian Association of Nigeria for the release of Leah Sharibu... READ THIS STORY
NIGERIA | Lawyers Call for Release of Girl 3.23.18
The Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria called on President Buhari to ensure the release of Leah Sharibu, the Christian girl from Dapchi currently being held... READ THIS STORY
IRAN | Church Served Eviction Notice 3.9.18
CSW has learned that a retreat center belonging to the Assemblies of God (AoG) Churches in Iran was served with an evacuation notice March 7... READ THIS STORY
SRI LANKA | State of Emergency Following Violence 3.7.18
A 10-day state of emergency has been imposed in Sri Lanka in the wake of communal violence between Buddhist nationalists... READ THIS STORY
ERITREA | Muslim Elder Dies in Detention 3.6.18
Haji Musa Mohammed Nur, the highly-respected nonagenarian Honorary President of Al Diaa Islamic School in Asmara, has died in detention. Initial reports state... READ THIS STORY
CUBA | Religious Freedom Defender Released 3.2.18
A prominent Cuban advocate for freedom of religion or belief, Leonardo Rodríguez Alonso, was released from detention March 2. He was detained... READ THIS STORY
CUBA | Defender Detained, Churches Harassed 2.28.18
A prominent Cuban advocate for freedom of religion or belief, Leonardo Rodríguez Alonso, was detained Feb. 28 in Villa Clara and is being held without charge... READ THIS STORY
CHINA | Death of Human Rights Lawyer Suspicious 2.26.18
Well-known Chinese Christian human rights lawyer, Li Baiguang, died in a military hospital Feb. 25, despite being in good health... READ THIS STORY
SUDAN | Government Demolishes Church 2.14.18
CSW has learned that a Sudanese Evangelical Presbyterian Church in El Haj Yousif, Khartoum North, was demolished Feb. 11 by Sudanese security agents... READ THIS STORY
MEXICO | Catholic Priests Killed 2.12.18
CSW is calling for a full investigation into the murders of two Roman Catholic priests in Mexico. Father Iván Añorve Jaimes and Father Germain Muñiz Garcia were killed... READ THIS STORY
VIETNAM | Hoa Hao Buddhists Sentenced 2.12.18
Six Hoa Hao Buddhists in Vietnam have been sentenced to up to six years in prison after holding a peaceful demonstration against suppression... READ THIS STORY
CUBA | Number of Violations Remains High 1.24.18
The wife of a Cuban political prisoner ended her 19-day hunger strike Jan. 23 after Cuban authorities made verbal promises to respect... READ THIS STORY
CHINA | Crackdown on Unregistered Churches 1.22.18
Christians have been detained and churches shut down or destroyed in China in the month before revised Regulations on Religious Affairs are due to come into effect ... READ THIS STORY
IRAN | Christians Receive Eight Year Sentences 1.11.18
Two Iranian Christians were sentenced to a total of eight years in prison by a revolutionary court in December 2017 after being convicted of national... READ THIS STORY
CUBA | Priest Detained, Pressured 1.10.18
Cuban Yoruba priest, Alexei Mora Montalvo, was forcibly detained by the Cuban political police Jan. 5... READ THIS STORY
ERITREA | No Improvement for Detained Patriarch 12.7.17
There has been no significant improvement in the circumstances of the detained head of the Eritrean Tewahdo Orthodox Church, despite official attempts to give... READ THIS STORY
MEXICO | Multiple Religious Minorities Forced from Homes 12.7.17
Multiple expulsions of religious minorities from their homes in Tuxpan de Bolaños in Mexico’s Jalisco State led to 64 men, women and children from the Huichol indigenous group being forcibly... READ THIS STORY
NORTH KOREA | Defectors Forcibly Repatriated 11.30.17
Ten North Korean defectors, who were arrested Nov. 4 after police raided the house where they were sheltering in Shenyang, northeast China... READ THIS STORY
CHINA | Lawyer Sentenced to Prison 11.23.17
Chinese human rights lawyer, Jiang Tianyong, was sentenced to two years in prison on the charge of “inciting subversion of state power”... READ THIS STORY
VIETNAM | Organizations Call for Release of Prisoners 11.13.17
A joint initiative by 14 Vietnamese and international organizations, including Christian Solidarity Worldwide, is calling for the immediate and unconditional release... READ THIS STORY
CHINA | North Korean Defectors Face Forcible Repatriation 11.8.17
CSW is calling on the Chinese government to halt moves to forcibly repatriate 10 North Korean defectors... READ THIS STORY
SUDAN | Religious Leaders Unjustly Convicted 11.6.17
Two leaders of the Sudan Evangelical Presbyterian Church were unjustly convicted on Oct. 30 of criminal misappropriation and criminal trespass... READ THIS STORY
ERITREA | Government Clampdown Sparks Protest 11.3.17
Infringements on the right to education of children from two of Eritrea’s permitted religious groups caused a rare show of public resistance against... READ THIS STORY
BURMA | Kachin Christians Jailed 11.2.17
Dumdaw Nawng Lat, 67, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison, while Langjaw Gam Seng, 35, was sentenced to two years and three months in prison on Oct. 27. In 2016, the ethnic Kachin Christians... READ THIS STORY
BURMA | Kachin Christians Jailed After Exposing Church Destruction 10.27.17
Dumdaw Nawng Lat, 67, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison, and Langjaw Gam Seng, 35, was sentenced to two years and three months in prison... READ THIS STORY
IRAQ | Christians Forced to Flee 10.26.17
CSW is deeply concerned about recent clashes between the Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi Army in the Nineveh Plains of Northern ... READ THIS STORY
NEPAL | President Signs Anticonversion Bill into Law 10.20.17
A Criminal Code Bill, which includes clauses that criminalize religious conversion and the “hurting of religious sentiment,” was signed into law... READ THIS STORY
NIGERIA | Attack Claims Over 30 Lives 10.19.17
A Fulani herder militia attack in Plateau State on Oct. 15 claimed the lives of over 30 victims, the majority of whom... READ THIS STORY
EGYPT | Extremist Murders Orthodox Priest 10.16.17
A 50 year-old Coptic Orthodox priest from Upper Egypt was stabbed to death, and another was wounded, by a suspected extremist... READ THIS STORY
CHINA | Commentary by Detained Human Rights Lawyer Released 10.16.17
A new commentary by Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng said the human rights situation in China has deteriorated to an unprecedented level... READ THIS STORY
NIGERIA | Journalist Released From Custody 10.13.17
Journalist Luka Binniyat was reunited with his family on Oct. 12, after spending 96 days in custody on charges related to the publication... READ THIS STORY
SUDAN | Protests Against Forced Sunday Opening 10.11.17
Sixty Christian and Muslim parents gathered outside the Council of Ministers in Khartoum on Sept. 10 to protest against an order requiring Christian schools to open... READ THIS STORY
CUBA | Charges Dropped Against Activist 10.6.17
Felix Yuniel Llerena López, a religious freedom activist, was informed Oct. 2 that criminal charges against him were dropped by Cuban state security... READ THIS STORY
TURKEY | President Proposes Unacceptable Exchange 10.4.17
The president of Turkey has suggested an American pastor, who has been jailed for over a year, could be released in exchange for the extradition... READ THIS STORY
ERITREA | Questions Arise Concerning Patriarch Status 9.15.17
There are renewed questions regarding the current status of Patriarch Antonios of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, after he failed to deliver the traditional televised ... READ THIS STORY
INDIA | Journalist, Rights Activist Killed 9.8.17
Gauri Lankesh, a senior journalist and activist, was shot dead by three unidentified assailants outside her home in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bengaluru... READ THIS STORY
KENYA | Residents Call for Enhanced Security 9.8.17
Residents of Lamu County held protests on Sept. 6 and 7 demanding enhanced security measures after four men were beheaded and several houses raided... READ THIS STORY
CHINA | Revisions to Religious Regulations Released 9.8.17
China’s State Council recently released a set of revisions to the 2005 Regulations on Religious Affairs which strengthen state control over religious... READ THIS STORY
IRAN | Christian Children Face Education Ultimatum 9.7.17
CSW was informed that children from families belonging to the Church of Iran denomination in the cities of Rasht and Shiraz were told they must either study Shi’a Islam... READ THIS STORY
NIGERIA | Journalist Denied Bail Review 9.6.17
Journalist Luka Binniyat was remanded in custody for 40 additional days on Aug. 31 after a judge refused to review... READ THIS STORY
SUDAN | Church Challenges Government Interference 9.1.17
The Sudanese Church of Christ is challenging a government decision to impose an unelected leadership committee on the church. The Ministry of Guidance and Religious Endowments, which oversees... READ THIS STORY