Human Rights

On Tuesday 160 schoolgirls and teachers were admitted to a hospital after a suspected poisoning at a school in Afghanistan's northern Takhar province -- the third such large-scale attack against female students this year.

The female students, ranging in age from 10 to 20 years old, had been poisoned in their classrooms by a contaminated spray that caused the girls to suffer from vomiting, headaches, and dizziness. The attack occurred at the Ashan Dara Girls School in Talokhan.

A similar attack occurred last week in which over 120 teachers and students were admitted to a local hospital. more >>

Whether or not Christians will have a voice in the political landscape of Egypt is at stake during the presidential election taking place in the country Wednesday and Thursday. In addition, persecution against Christians may worsen depending on the outcome, said Open Doors USA president Carl Moeller.

"It's very important that given the precarious place the Christian community has in Egyptian society and the variety of political movements that are anti-Christian in that country, that the Christians could potentially be a key and pivotal minor component in sheer numbers, but a very critical component in the political dynamics," Moeller told The Christian Post on Monday.

"The persecution can certainly become worse. One would expect that if a more hardline Islamist was elected president the conditions for Christians would worsen," the persecution watchdog head stated. "The only possible solution to that would be that Christians become a part of a minor party in the government coalition that would allow them to have more influence in the parliament and the social policies of the country." more >>

Nonprofit organization Save the Children has released its 13th annual State of the World's Mother's report highlighting the best and worst countries in the world to be a mother, with Niger and Norway populating opposite ends of the list.

At the bottom of the Mother's Index list, which is based on various indicators of maternal and child health and well-being, Niger has replaced Afghanistan for the first time in two years as the worst country in the world to be a mother. Norway, however, maintained its top spot as the best country to be a mother.

The report highlighted stark realities with regards to women and childbirth, noting that over half of all births around the world are not attended by skilled health personnel, one in seven children die before their fifth birthday, and eight out of 10 women are likely to suffer the loss of a child during their lifetime. more >>

A court in an underdeveloped southwestern province of Iran has sentenced four men to death by hanging for committing "sodomy," according to a recent report by the Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA).

The men, Javid Akbari, Saadat Arefi, Vahid Akbari, and Houshmand Akbari come from the remote town of Choram in Iran's southwestern Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province and could be hung within days, the HRANA report suggests.

The Christian Post reached out to Human Rights Watch to discuss the case and although the organization has not yet been able to independently verify the sentencing, Faraz Sanei, a Middle East and North Africa Division researcher at HRW, told CP that HRANA's claims are probable under the current climate in the country. more >>

Underground Christians in China were among those who helped a blind Chinese human rights activist, Chen Guangcheng, escape after four years in prison and 18 months under house arrest.

It was Christian activist Bob Fu who reached Chen by cellphone while at a Capitol Hill hearing and let him make his appeal for passage to the U.S. directly to lawmakers, Reuters reported Friday, about a week after Chen's dramatic escape came to light.

"Chen Guangcheng isn't a Christian, but we Chinese Christians pray for all those in pursuit of the truth," Zhang Mingxuan, a house church pastor from central province of Henan, stated, according to the news agency. Activist and lawyer Chen's case, the pastor added, "has been a blow for China's legal and government officials." more >>

In what has become a closely watched international diplomatic and human rights crisis, Chinese authorities said Friday they would consider allowing blind dissident Chen Guangcheng to leave the country to study abroad in the United States.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said in a statement that Chen could "apply through normal channels to the relevant departments in accordance with the law, just like any other Chinese citizen."

Chen, who is currently being kept at a hospital in Beijing, has been invited to study at New York University and has reportedly expressed no interest in seeking political asylum. The activist would reportedly be accompanied by his wife and child if his application is approved. more >>