Persecution ‘key driver of displacement’ says UNHCR, voicing concerns about returns

Persecution ‘key driver of displacement’ says UNHCR, voicing concerns about returns
More people are currently displaced through conflict and persecution than at any time since the Second World War. According to the Global Trends report, published by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 65.6 million people were forcibly displaced at the end of 2016. The report noted that the number of refugee returns . . . Read More

European migrant deals ‘could put victims of religious persecution at risk’

Iranian migrants line up for prayer alongside other members of the congregation at the Dk Live church in Dunkirk
New deals aimed at reducing the number of migrants reaching Europe’s shores could endanger the lives of people fleeing religious persecution, the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) has warned. The Partnership Framework on Migration was launched last year as the European Commission’s response to member states’ requests for a strategic approach . . . Read More

UNHCR accused of ‘negligence’ after Pakistani Christian dies in Thai detention centre

UNHCR accused of ‘negligence’ after Pakistani Christian dies in Thai detention centre
Thailand’s government and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Bangkok have been accused of “negligence” after a Pakistani Christian asylum seeker died in a detention centre last month. Ijaz Masih, 35, was reportedly refused medical treatment on 26 May, after complaining of chest pains, and died of a heart attack . . . Read More

Half of Syria and Iraq’s Christians have left since 2011, says report

Half of Syria and Iraq’s Christians have left since 2011, says report
Three years to the day since the Islamic State group took control of the Iraqi city of Mosul, a new report estimates that – of their Christian populations – 50% have left Iraq since 2006, while 80% have emigrated from Syria since the start of its civil war in 2011. The arrival of IS was only . . . Read More

Relatives of Coptic ‘martyrs’ join summit on persecuted Christians in US capital

Relatives of Coptic ‘martyrs’ join summit on persecuted Christians in US capital
A “World Summit in Defence of Persecuted Christians” has started in Washington DC, and is expected to be addressed by the US Vice-President Mike Pence today (Thursday, 11 May). It has been organised by American evangelist Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. 600 participants have come from 136 countries: including Egypt, . . . Read More

500 children taken by Boko Haram from one northern Nigeria city

500 children taken by Boko Haram from one northern Nigeria city
As thousands of refugees return home to northern Nigeria, they are discovering with dismay the scale of devastation left by Boko Haram. In Damasak (Borno State), a city once occupied by the Islamist extremists, hundreds of children are missing. Most of them were seized by Boko Haram in autumn 2014. . . . Read More