Rev. Dr. Safwat el-Bayadi, head of the Evangelical community in Egypt, described the arrest of Copts in wake of recent attacks in Cairo as a "deviation from the course of justice."

Rev. Bayadi said the judiciary must be fair and that the trial of victims is not acceptable. He pointed out the institution of the presidency cares only for improving the image of the regime, explaining that this is why the presidency releases English statements to address the West while it does not care about the homeland.

According to Rev. Bayadi, Christians still live in the era of martyrdom. Although he stresses the tolerance and forgiveness of Copts towards their aggressors, it does not give aggressors permission to repeat their assaults. more >>

In his most recent Sunday sermon, Pope Francis addressed the topic of the persecuted church, a gesture which suggests that perhaps the new pontiff will focus part of his holy career on helping the millions of persecuted Christians throughout the world.

"Let us pray especially for Christians who suffer persecution," he said during his sermon on the third Sunday of Easter at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy, in front of a crowd of nearly 80,000 Christians.

The pope then proceeded to draw a comparison between the persecution Jesus' apostles endured to the persecution of modern-day Christians. more >>

The American Center for Law and Justice received news that U.S. pastor Saeed Abedini has been severely beaten in Evin Prison in Tehran, denied proper medical care, and experiencing fainting spells.

"Pastor Saeed reported today that last week he was severely beaten when the prison officials took him to the hospital. During the weekly prison visit today, Pastor Saeed's family reported that his physical condition is worsening – seeing first-hand the marks and symptoms left by the recent beating. These beatings and the internal injuries are causing Pastor Saeed frequent fainting spells," the law group, which is representing Abedini's wife and two children back in America, revealed in a statement on Monday.

The Iranian-born pastor, who converted to Christianity and was building an orphanage for children when he was arrested in Tehran last year, was sentenced to eight years in prison in January for "endangering national security." The ACLJ called that a "sham trail," however, noting that the real reason behind Abedini's sentence was his faith. more >>

Iranian authorities have posed U.S. Pastor Saeed Abedini with an ultimatum to deny Christ, or spend more time in prison.

"Deny your faith in Jesus Christ and return to Islam or else you will not be released from prison. We will make sure you are kept here even after your 8 year sentence is finished," the authorities said, according to a letter by Abedini  that was recently obtained by the American Center for Law and Justice.

The pastor, who was sentenced to eight years in January in what the law group says was a "sham trial" that targeted him for his Christian faith, had earlier shared of some of the abuse he faced in prison in a letter to his wife, Naghmeh Abedini, and their two children. He has stated that he will not abandon Christ in the face of such persecution. But the newly released letter reveals the specific threats the authorities have made against him in Evin Prison in Tehran. more >>

In a congressional hearing on Tuesday, blind human rights activist Chen Guangcheng requested Congress to convince the Obama administration to release diplomatic records containing the agreements reached between the U.S. and China last May, which facilitated his release from the country.

Chen reportedly wants the agreements released because the U.S. government told him in May that Chinese officials would promise, in writing, not to harm his relatives remaining in China, but several of his family members have reportedly been harassed and beaten by government officials.

For example, Chen's nephew, Chen Kegui, was arrested and sentenced to 39 months in prison for allegedly injuring government officials when they stormed his home looking for Chen in April 2012, but Chen maintains that his nephew was practicing self-defense. more >>

The American Center for Law and Justice is not giving up on its campaign for Pastor Saeed Abedini, the U.S. citizen imprisoned in Tehran, Iran, and is starting a letter-writing initiative for his birthday.

"We've obtained the address of Evin Prison, and our goal is to flood that prison with thousands of messages of encouragement for Pastor Saeed. You write the letter, and we'll deliver it," said ACLJ Executive Director Jordan Sekulow.

Abedini has been in Evin Prison since September 2012, when he was arrested and later sentenced to eight years for "endangering national security" in Iran. What he was really doing, the law group says, was helping to build an orphanage for children in the Middle East country. more >>