Persecution

There was an increase in the number of reported persecution cases against Christians in China last year, according to a religious freedom group that specializes in Chinese house churches.

In its “Annual 2009 Persecution Report,” ChinaAid Association revealed a 19 percent increase in number of Christian persecution cases compared to data from 2008. The Texas-based group emphasized, however, that the report is based on only a small portion of the total number of persecution cases that took place in mainland China last year because many incidents go unreported.

The report defines persecution as acts involving, but not limited to, threats, inordinate fines, property confiscation, interrogation, arrest and other abuses. more >>

ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News) – A European court on Tuesday ordered Turkey to remove the religious affiliation section from citizens’ identification cards, calling the practice a violation of human rights.

Religious minorities and in particular Christian converts in Turkey have faced discrimination because of the mandatory religion declaration on their identification cards, which was enforced until 2006. Since then, citizens are allowed to leave the “Religion” section of their IDs blank.

The ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) “is a good thing,” said Zekai Tanyar, president of the Turkish Protestant Alliance, citing prejudices against Christian converts. more >>

A group of leading international human rights specialists urged the United Nations on Thursday to help find one of China’s top Christian human rights lawyers.

Gao Zhisheng, who was once named by the Chinese government as one of the country’s ten best lawyers, has been missing for one year as of Thursday. He was reportedly seized by a dozen police officers and last seen in public on Feb. 4, 2009. The Chinese government has made vague references to Gao’s detainment, but many times it has also denied knowing where he is.

“We urge China to let Gao Zhisheng’s family know where he is being held and why he is being detained, in accordance with Chinese law,” said Jerome Cohen, a professor at New York University Law School and one of the nation’s foremost expert in Chinese law. “He should immediately be granted access to council and either charged with a crime or released.” more >>

JAKARTA, Indonesia (Compass Direct News) – Local governments have ordered the closure of two churches on Indonesia’s Java island.

Under pressure from Islamist groups, authorities ordered Christian Baptist Church in Sepatan, Tangerang district, Banten Province to cease services. In Pondok Timur, near Bekasi in West Java, officials abruptly closed the Huria Christian Protestant Batak Church (HKBP) after delaying a building permit for four years.

Tangerang district authorities issued a decree on Jan. 21 ordering all worship activities to cease at the Baptist church. At a meeting in the district offices, officials pressured church officials to sign a statement that they would stop all worship activities, but they refused. more >>

WASHINGTON – The head of the World Evangelical Alliance sought Tuesday to address concerns raised by Chinese house churches upset over his organization’s decision to not visit or even mention them during a recent trip to China.

In an exclusive interview with The Christian Post, Geoff Tunnicliffe, the international director of the World Evangelical Alliance, said the over 150-year-old ministry has a long history of promoting religious freedom and its promotion remains a “core principle” for the organization.

“We believe that religious freedom and human rights are tied together and we are not going to step away from that kind of commitment,” Tunnicliffe stated. “In fact, we believe we will continue to be strong advocates for that.” more >>