Päivi Räsänen, Finland’s interior minister from 2011 to 2015. | Courtesy of ADF International.
27
April
Finnish MP wins on all charges in major free speech trial
All charges against Finnish , MP Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola are unanimously dismissed following high-profile free speech trial. The former Finnish Minister of the Interior, faced three criminal charges for sharing her faith.
12
April
Iraqi Christian Murdered after Sharing Her Faith on TikTok
An Iraqi woman who recently converted from Islam to Christianity was found murdered on March 7 after she posted a TikTok video about her new faith, according to a religious liberty watchdog.
11
April
ADF General Counsel Kristen Waggoner Harassed at Yale Law School Event
Campuses are becoming places of repression rather than education. Even the supposedly ‘top’ of schools are no longer able to guarantee basics such as freedom of speech.
02
April
Family Sprayed with Acid for Leaving Islam
Every person should have the right to believe, to change their belief and to live out their beliefs but it’s not that simple when some believe that they have the right to kill those of other faiths
19
June
Hopes Wilt for Teaching Christianity in Schools in Sudan
Hopes that the transitional government in Sudan would bring back Christianity as a school subject alongside Islam wilted when officials omitted it from an academic schedule released last week.
17
June
YouTube censors John Piper's audiobook, 'Coronavirus and Christ'
YouTube has censored the audiobook version of Reformed theologian John Piper's new book, Coronavirus and Christ, claiming it violated "community standards."
15
June
Nigeria: Unfolding Genocide?
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief has launched a new report into Nigeria. Members have been alarmed by the dramatic and escalating violence in Nigeria characterised as the farmer-herder conflict.
Left to right: Khalil Dehghanpour, Mohammed Vafadar, Kamal Naamanian, Hossein Kadivar.
02
June
Iranian House Church Leaders Summoned to Begin Five-Year Prison Sentences
Four Iranian Christian converts have been summoned to begin their five-year jail sentences for leading house-churches, for which they were convicted of “acting against national security.”
01
June
Nigerian Bishop Abducted by Gunmen, Christian Organization Urges Officials to Take Action
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is urging officials to take all necessary steps to see that its chairman of the Nasarawa State unit, Bishop Joseph Masin is safely released from his captors.
18
May
620 Nigerian Christians Killed So Far This Year by Muslim Militants Boko Haram, Fulani Herdsmen
620 Nigerian Christians Killed So Far This Year by Muslim Militants Boko Haram, Fulani Herdsmen
17
May
Iranian Christian Converts Imprisoned
Four Iranian Christian converts who were arrested in February have been sent to Lakan Prison after they were unable to afford the bail ($30,000 each) established by Branch 10 of the Revolutionary Courts.
16
May
Pastor in Nepal charged with 'Outraging Religious Feelings' and 'Proselytizing'
A pastor arrested in Nepal in March on charges of giving false information for saying prayer could heal COVID-19 was released last month – and then immediately re-arrested on new charges, sources said.
Wang Yi (left) with his wife, Jiang Rong (right) (Photo: ChinaAid)
15
May
Church member advised to mind "regulations"
Authorities in Chengdu, Sichuan, introduced a state-approved pastor to house church Christian Liu Hongliang. Liu and his wife attend the often-persecuted Early Rain Covenant Church. Their pastor, Pastor Wang Yi, is in prison.
09
May
Christianity Inflicting 'Enormous Harm' on China, Warns Communist Party
A local government communications agency in China recently held a seminar to discuss with Communist Party members the "enormous harm" Christianity is to the atheist nation and identify ways to stunt its growth.
29
January
China Bans Christian Funerals
Communist officials throughout China are using regulations that restrict religious freedom to also prohibit religious-themed funerals, even going so far as to arresting family members and stopping ceremonies mid-service.