Retired pastor tried in Tehran

The trial of a retired Iranian-Armenian pastor started on September 7 at the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, nine months after his arrest, reports Mohabat News. Vruir Avanessian, 61, is accused of “action against national security” and “proselytising Farsi-speaking citizens”. His trial took place behind closed doors. Avanessian, who suffers from . . . Read More

Dozens of ‘noisy’ churches silenced in Cameroon

Dozens of ‘noisy’ churches silenced in Cameroon
The government of Cameroon has ordered the closure of dozens of churches in an attempt to put an end to what it considers to be anarchy among some Christian organisations. The measure, which authorities began to impose on August 23, targets Pentecostal churches, which are not officially recognised. The minister . . . Read More

Libyan human-rights official flees country after death threats

Libyan human-rights official flees country after death threats
The head of the Libyan Parliament’s Human Rights Committee has resigned and fled to London, saying he’s received death threats. Hassan Al-Amin, prominent for his long opposition to the Gaddafi regime, recently spoke out against armed gangs and militias in his Misrata area. His self-imposed exile comes as hostilities against . . . Read More

Crackdown hits official churches

Crackdown hits official churches
In a rare crackdown on a concentrated area, Iranian authorities have arrested Christians living in the country’s third largest city in what is seen as a tactic to discourage Muslims and converts to Christianity from attending official churches. Since last month officials have arrested about 12 Christian converts in Isfahan, . . . Read More

Two Christian hospital workers abducted in Karachi, Pakistan

Two Christian hospital workers abducted in Karachi, Pakistan
Authorities do not know who abducted two Christian hospital employees in Karachi last week, but police sources said they suspected the kidnappers had links with banned terrorist organisations. There is a strong possibility that Islamic extremists took the two workers of South Korea-based Good Samaritan Hospital, Issac Samson and Indrias . . . Read More