India: A Christian couple was recently sentenced to prison after accusations were made that they had been involved in pressuring others to convert to Christianity. Pastor Ramesh Ahirwar and his wife Sakshi are from the village of Vivek Nagar in Madhya Pradesh. A man had accused the couple of abducting his estranged wife Sapna (who also happens to be Pastor Ramesh’s niece) before allegedly pressuring her to convert, holding the woman against her will, and not allowing her to return home to be with him. He also purported that the Christian couple offered to build Sapna a home and give her money each month. The complainant, Abhishek, further claimed that the Christians attempted to convert him as well, offering him a job in return.
During the court hearing, Sapna testified that she was neither coerced into changing her religion nor offered any financial incentives. She stated that the pastor did not, in any way, pressure her to stay away from her estranged husband, but that she did so of her own volition. Despite Sapna’s testimony, the district court convicted the two believers and sentenced them to two years in prison, along with a fine.
China: On March 10, the members of the Maizhong Reformed Church in Fuyang, Anhui province, were gathered at a restaurant when their meeting was suddenly raided by local police. Without showing identification or giving reasons for the raid, the police began interrogating the Christians. Officials from the local religious affairs bureau, along with national security agents, also entered the restaurant and began taking pictures.
After questioning the believers who had attended the gathering, the authorities took 18 Christians, including two children, to the police station. The interrogation continued until well after midnight before Elder Chang Shun was given a 15-day administrative detention for “carrying out activities in the name of an illegal social organization.” This is the third time that Elder Chang has been detained within the past six months. Additionally, as a result of the raid, eight other church members were each given a 13-day detention.
Elder Chang’s wife, Li Yunyan, released a letter calling for prayer and expressing deep concern for her husband.
Ukraine: In May 2023, Father Kostiantyn Maksimov, a priest from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, was taken by Russian occupation forces. Several other religious leaders have either been killed, tortured or reported missing after being detained by members of the Russian forces.
In late March of this year, the Regional Prosecutor’s Office for the occupation forces in the Zaporizhzhia Region announced that Father Kostiantyn was to face trial on charges of espionage. The prosecutors allege that the priest had reported the location of Russian air defences to the Ukrainian security service via Telegram, an instant messaging app.
In a separate incident, two priests from the Orthodox Church of Ukraine were convicted of “conducting missionary activities” in September 2023. Father Khristofor Khrimli and Father Andri Chui are from the Donetsk Region of Ukraine, an area currently considered part of Russia by occupational forces. Both church leaders were ordered to be deported from Russian territory, but since court officials claim that the region of their home is now within the jurisdiction of Russia, there was uncertainty at the time as to where the priests would be sent.
According to a recent update, the two men were deported to the country of Georgia in March. Since then, they have returned to Ukraine but are living in an area that’s under the control of the Ukrainian government.
Nicaragua: Under the regime of President Daniel Ortega, life for Christians in Nicaragua has become increasingly difficult. Many Catholic priests have been detained, often for being overtly opposed to the abusive actions committed by the country’s governing authorities.
According to another report, between the years of 2019 and 2023, the Catholic church experienced 1,200 cases of aggression, including dozens of arrests and expulsions from the country. More recently, on January 14 of this year, 19 members of the Catholic clergy were expelled from their posts in Nicaragua and deported to the Vatican. Included among these clergymen was Bishop Rolando Alvarez, a prominent critic of the Nicaraguan president, who had earlier been sentenced to 26 years in prison on charges of treason.
While the Catholic church has been repeatedly harassed by the government, other organizations within the nation that stood against the regime were also targeted. In July 2023, the Red Cross was expelled from the country for criticizing the inhumane treatment of prisoners. The members of many other Christian organizations have been subjected to harassment and false allegations. Altogether, the government has seized the properties of numerous non-profit groups, including 256 evangelical Christian associations.
For one particular American-based agency, Mountain Gateway, this opposition has resulted in charges against 14 pastors, including three church leaders from the United States. All assets of the ministry were confiscated and the 11 Nicaraguan pastors, along with two lawyers, were accused of money laundering and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 12 to 15 years. Additionally, the Christians received huge fines of over $100 million CAD each. Charges have also been filed against the three American pastors. However, since these three Christian leaders were not in Nicaragua at the time of the arrests, they had not been detained.
Jon Britton Hancock, President of Mountain Gateway, stated: “This is not the outcome we hoped for, and it is heartbreaking to know that people who we consider family are sitting in prison for sharing the Gospel. We trust that God is in control of this situation and have faith that He will have the final say on this all.”
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