The Persecution Times » Archive
House Church in Baiyin, Gansu Province raided; Five people placed under Administrative Detention
By Michael Ireland Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service GANSU, CHINA ANS — Several police officials went to a meeting site of a house church at Honghui Coal Mine in Pingchuan District, Baiyin City, Gansu Province on the afternoon of June 24, 2008. They detained Mr. Wang Fayun, a co-worker in charge of this gathering site and two female members who were practicing on the piano. China Aid Association CAA says that news came on the second day that Brother Wang was placed under 10 days of administrative detention and the two sisters were placed under three days of administrative detention. On the afternoon of June 25, officials detained two more members, Mr Chen and his wife, at the same gathering site. Like the other detainees, Chen and his wife were sentenced to 10 days … Read entire article »
Filed under: Assist News Service, China, Christian, Persecution
Women Bible College Students Attacked
GFA – On June 17, a group of women students from a Gospel for Asia Bible college faced humiliation and persecution as they distributed Gospel tracts in Andhra Pradesh, India. Anti-Christian extremists interrogated the women, and the attack eventually escalated into physical abuse at a bus station. As the five women—all third-year Bible college students—passed out the tracts, they were confronted by three radicals. Harshly interrogating one of the women, they snatched the tracts from her hand, tore them to pieces and threw them back in her face. Then the men threatened the women and berated them with vulgar insults. Finally, one of the students told the radicals that they would leave the station if the men let them go. But instead, the extremists called more people from their organization to come … Read entire article »
Filed under: Christian, Gospel for Asia, HIndu, India, Persecution
Pastor attacked in Andhra Pradesh state, India
By James Varghese Special to ASSIST News Service ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA (ANS) — A pastor was attacked and beaten up near Siddipet in the Medak district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, June 22 at 8pm. According to news reported in www.christiancouncil.in, he was Pastor Kinnera Kanankaiah. The site reports that the incident took place as the pastor and his wife, along with few other women believers (members of the church), were returning home after a birthday party at a place called Rangadam Palli. A group of Hindu activists (radicals) belonging to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS National Volunteer servants) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, Indian Peoples Party) attacked them. The site reported that, the Hindu radicals first manhandled the pastor, his wife and another woman and then poured alcohol on them and made fun of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Assist News Service, Christian, HIndu, India, Persecution
Convert Couple Arrested and Tortured in Iran
Compass Direct News Reports that: Security police officials in Tehran this month tortured a newly converted couple and threatened to put their 4-year-old daughter in an institution after arresting them for holding Bible studies and attending a house church. A Christian source in Iran said that 28-year-old Tina Rad was charged with “activities against the holy religion of Islam” for reading the Bible with Muslims in her home in east Tehran and trying to convert them. Officials charged her husband, 31-year-old Makan Arya, with “activities against national security” after seizing the couple from their home on June 3, forcing them to leave their 4-year-old daughter ill and unattended. Authorities kept them in an unknown jail for four days, which left them badly bruised from beatings, with Rad “very ill” and unable to walk, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Christian, Compass Direct, Iran, Islam, Muslim, Persecution
Record Fine for Baptists in Belarus for Talking About Religion
BELARUS (ANS) — Belarus has imposed a fine of more than two months average wages on a Baptist who organized choral singing and talked about religious issues outside Ushachi public market. Belarus is located in Eastern Europe, east of Poland. A story by Geraldine Fagan writing for Forum 18 News Service reported that after a plain clothes policeman told a group of Baptists from outside the area to stop, Vladimir Burshtyn replied that they were not disturbing public order. He cited religious freedom guarantees in Belarus’ Constitution, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The fine is, to Forum 18′s knowledge, the highest yet imposed on Baptists for unregistered religious activity. Higher fines have been levied against members of other communities. Forum 18 said that Olga Karchevskaya, an official who witnessed the incident, defended … Read entire article »
Filed under: Assist News Service, Belarus, Christian, Persecution
