Asia
Armenia: urgent international appeal
On 21 April, 37 human rights organisations and NGOs made an urgent appeal to the UN Council of Europe on behalf of Armenia. The opening sentence was, ‘We, the undersigned civil society organisations,…
Iraq and Afghanistan: elections
Iraqi religious figures and institutions are debating the 12 May elections in public. Some call for boycotting them, some recommend voting for new candidates. The Shi’ite religious establishment, believing the previous ‘corrupt people’…
North Korea: positives to pray for
CIA Director Mike Pompeo recently made a top-secret visit to North Korea as an envoy for President Trump and met that country’s leader, Kim Jong-un. The extraordinary meeting between one of Trump’s most…
Iraq: legislative elections due 12 May
With the defeat of IS and Kurdish independence ambitions thwarted, many see a positive mood in Iraq. Yet major obstacles of corruption, sectarianism, and nepotism limit Iraq’s capacity to recover from war and…
Kazakhstan: state demands personal data
In another invasion into Christian freedom of religion, a Kazakh regional religious affairs department has demanded the personal data of everyone under 18 who attends Christian meetings for worship. It was not sent…
China: Religious freedom
China presented a ‘religion white paper’ guaranteeing protection for religious freedom four days after banning online sale of Bibles. The paper was publicised at a press conference after Chinese believers found that online…
Uzbekistan: Officials bully Baptists
Freedom of religion and belief without state permission is currently prohibited - even though the Uzbekistan constitution legally provides for freedom of religion. Baptists refused to register their congregations with the state, insisting…
Pakistan, Iran, Burma, Nigeria, Mexico: Religious discrimination in schools
Christian Solidarity Worldwide called for action to end religious discrimination in Pakistani, Iranian, Burmese, Nigerian and Mexican schools. They explored violations where many children experience various forms of mistreatment because of their faith.…
Gaza Strip and West Bank
Thousands of Palestinians have gathered along Israel's border for a six-week protest. The situation has escalated, and Israel has doubled its troops. Multiple deaths and hundreds wounded make this the deadliest conflict since…
Trump warns Russia: ‘Missiles will be coming’
Brushing aside Russia’s pledge to repel any Syria attack, President Trump used Twitter to put Moscow on notice that a military response to Assad’s use of chemical weapons is on the way, telling…
