Shahbaz Bhatti honoured by Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister

The late Shahbaz Bhatti was recently
honoured for his work in defending
religious minorities in Pakistan. 

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird on March 14 presented this year’s John Diefenbaker Defender of Human Rights and Freedom Award to the late Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s former Federal Minister for Minorities, and Susana Trimarco, Argentinian activist and founder of the Fundación María de los Ángeles.

With this award, Canada honours the memory of Shahbaz Bhatti, whose determined efforts in the struggle for equality, justice and freedom cost him his life, said Baird in a media release. Braving multiple threats to his safety, Bhatti worked tirelessly to advance the rights of Pakistan’s religious minorities. Peter Bhatti accepted the award on behalf of his late brother.

Shahbaz Bhatti was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan in 2008 and named Federal Minister for Minorities, a portfolio he accepted because of the opportunity it offered to defend the oppressed and marginalized of Pakistan.

As Minister, Bhatti took steps to advance the rights of religious minorities. These included launching a national campaign to promote interfaith harmony. Bhatti also fought valiantly against abuses of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws during his time in government.

Minister Bhatti helped to found the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance in 1985 and subsequently chaired that organization. He also served as head of Pakistan’s Christian Liberation Front, which he formed in 1985. In 2002, he joined the Pakistan People’s Party.

Minister Bhatti visited Canada in February 2011 where he met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, among other government ministers.

Shortly after his visit to Canada, Minister Bhatti was assassinated while on his way to work.

For the complete article from ASSIST News, click here.

Sexual assault used as weapon of persecution in Pakistan

A Christian mother of five has been raped in the village of Mustafabad, Kasur district. ASSIST News Service reports that Arifa Mushtaq (name changed for security reasons) was coming home by bus from her work in a garment factory when two locals grabbed her while another accomplice held a gun to her head.

Mushtaq Masih, Arifa’s husband, is devastated by the assault and has filed a complaint with the local police. ASSIST has learned that Arifa’s family is being threatened by two of the alleged rapists. Mushtaq was told that if he did not withdraw his complaint, his children would “go through what his wife has gone through.”

This is only one example of sexual assaults being used by Muslims as weapons of persecution against Christians. Advocacy group International Christian Concern (ICC) reports that in Pakistan, which is a Muslim majority country, Christian girls and women are particularly vulnerable targets.

ICC reports that an 18-year-old woman was working alone on a Muslim-owned farm when three of her employer’s relatives allegedly raped her. She was told not to tell anyone or they would kill her and her brother. She says it is impossible for her to bring her case to the police because of the threats.

Jonathan Racho, ICC Regional Manager, says the police would provide little assistance.

“In Pakistan, when Christians bring their case to court or to the police there is a reluctance from the government to protect them,” said Racho.

Nazir Bhatti, president of the Pakistan Christian Congress, said the instances of rape and forced conversion of Christian women to Islam is on a continual rise. He said 99.9% of cases of rape in Pakistan are not reported.

“If a Muslim man rapes a Christian girl, then he easily forces her to convert to Islam, marries her and covers up his heinous crime of rape under Islamic law,” Bhatti told ICC.

You can read ASSIST’s article here and ICC’s article here.

You can help by praying!

• Pray for Arifa and her family. Pray they would be given the strength and peace of their Saviour.
• Pray for the 18-year-old woman who faces death threats if she reports the heinous crime perpetrated against her.
• Pray for the Muslims who commit such terrible acts. Pray they would be overwhelmed by the love and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Muslims kidnap Christian girl to “purify” her

A 14-year-old Christian girl in Pakistan has been abducted by Muslims, reports Pakistan Christian Post. Five Muslim men allegedly kidnapped her in Gujranwala City of Punjab Province to “purify” her by making her a Muslim and the mistress of one of the men.

Eye-witnesses say the Muslims, armed with deadly weapons, forced their way into the home of Rashid Masih in broad daylight and abducted his daughter, Mehek. They held a gun to Mehek’s head and forced her to climb into a car.

The same witnesses chased the men, but were threatened to stop under pain of death. Workers from the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance heard about the case and reported it to the police. ASSIST News reports that police reluctantly registered the case but have not taken any substantial investigative action.

The Pakistan Christian Post’s article can be found here. ASSIST News’ article can be found here.

Pray for Mehek!

• Pray God will protect Mehek’s physical and emotional well-being.
• Pray that her kidnappers will release her unharmed and come to a knowledge of Christ.
• Pray for a strengthening of faith for Mehek and her family.

To learn more about persecution in Pakistan, please visit our Pakistan Country Report.

All Pakistan Minorities Alliance vows to carry forward Shahbaz Bhatti’s mission

Shahbaz Bhatti

A group of mainly Christian leaders gathered earlier this week in Lahore, Pakistan, to honour the life of Shahbaz Bhatti, the minister of minorities who was gunned down on March 2 by Islamist assassins, reported ASSIST News.

Bhatti made a life’s work of campaigning for tolerance in Pakistan, which is 95 percent Muslim, and most recently became a lonely voice, with a handful of others, in a campaign to reform the harsh blasphemy law.

Organized by The All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), the gathering was attended by church leaders and representatives of all recognized churches in Pakistan, parliamentarians, politicians, APMA leadership and APMA workers from across the country.

Group Captain (Retd.) Cecil Chaudhry, Executive Secretary General of the APMA, highlighted the life and works of Bhatti, including his numerous achievements prior to becoming the Federal Minister for Minorities which included the formation of APMA.

He emphasized Bhatti’s struggle to make Pakistan a “non-discriminative State” as envisioned by the father of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, where, he said “every citizen would enjoy equal rights and complete freedom of religion.”

Going forward, the APMA will “continue to strive to realize Shahbaz Bhattti’s dream,” which was the repeal of all discriminatory laws, the blasphemy laws in particular, and to make Pakistan a non-discriminative state where every citizen would have equal rights, religious freedom and equal opportunities in a free society.

Dr. Paul Bhatti, brother of Shahbaz Bhatti, returned to Pakistan from Italy following his brother’s death and was subsequently appointed chairman of the APMA. He was also appointed advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Minority Affairs, with the status of a federal minister.

Dr. Bhatti vowed to “strive to accomplish the cause and mission” of his late brother and to lead APMA with Shahbaz Bhatti’s vision and ideology.

4 Ethiopian Muslims beat evangelist to death, assault his pregnant wife

Pray for Ethiopian believers today!

International Christian Concern (ICC) learned that four Muslims beat an evangelist to death and assaulted his pregnant wife in Worabe, Ethiopia, on April 21.

An ICC spokesperson told ASSIST News Service that the Muslims lured Evangelist Abraham Abera from Kale Hiwot Church, his home and place of ministry, telling him that his friend was sick and needed his immediate attention.

Abraham left with the men; they turned on him and began to beat him with rods. The minister’s wife, Birtukan, ran to intervene, but the Muslims beat her as well.

Abraham died on the spot and his wife, who sustained a severe head injury, was left unconscious in the street. She was found and taken to a hospital in Butajira, where she regained consciousness on April 22.

Birtukan spoke with an ICC source and said that she knew two of the attackers. She said that as the Muslims were beating her and her husband, they told them, “You (Christians) are growing in number in our area. You are spreading your message (the gospel). We will destroy you.”

Birtukan’s unborn baby fortunately survived the attack.

The attackers remain at large. A Christian leader in the area told ICC that the men may not be arrested because the local officials are also Muslims. The area is 97 percent Muslim.

Killer of Christian Emmanuel brothers gets death sentence in Pakistan

Rashid (L) and Sajid (R) Emmanuel
(Photo ASSIST News)

In July 2010, we shared with you that two Pakistani brothers were shot and killed after they were accused of blaspheming the prophet Muhammad. Rev. Rashid Emmanuel and Sajid Emmanuel, leaders of United Ministries Pakistan, were being returned to jail under police custody when they were attacked and shot by several masked men.

On April 18, an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan’s Faisalabad district sentenced to death Maqsood Ahmed, who was convicted of killing the brothers and injuring a police inspector, reported ASSIST News Service.

The court imposed a $47,784 fine on the convict and sentenced him to multiple 10-year prison terms.

ASSIST News reported that the ruling is a good sign for Christians, and other religious minorities in Pakistan, as it is the first ever case of its kind where the accusations were heard on merit by the honourable court, and the accused was punished according to the law.

The brothers were arrested in early July after being presented with a three-page document that insulted Muhammad and was supposedly signed by the two of them. Handwriting experts notified police that the signatures on the document did not match the brothers' writing. Sources believe the brothers were likely to be exonerated of the charges.

In the days before the murder, Muslims organized large demonstrations calling for the death penalty for the brothers.

When news of the murder reached the brothers' neighbourhood of Dawood Nagar, Faisalabad, Christians gathered to protest. Police fired teargas cannons at the protestors, who in turn threw stones. The situation quickly became volatile, with indiscriminate shooting occurring between Christians and Muslims.

Joseph Francis, chairman of the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) has appealed to Christians around the world to “pray for all innocent persons detained under blasphemy and other discriminatory allegations” and added, “May the God, our Lord, protect them from the illegal decisions of the courts as well as preserve those falsely accused of blasphemy from their co-prisoners.”

Death threats issued against Christian leaders in Pakistan

Joseph Francis and Naveed Walter
Photo from ASSIST News Service

A leading human rights campaigner in Pakistan has urged the government to provide "full-fledged security" for Joseph Francis, Director of CLAAS (Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement), after Francis received death threats for his work on repealing of the country's controversial blasphemy laws, reported ASSIST News Service.

Naveed Walter, President of Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP), told ASSIST News that he is concerned for the safety of Francis and other Christian leaders who are receiving disturbing threats.

Walter said, "CLAAS, under the leadership of Mr. Joseph Francis, provides the legal aid assistance to people who are persecuted because of their religion. It is an organization that is working to unite Christian lawyers on a platform to assist in cases that relate to the blasphemy laws in specific. Before 1992, Christian lawyers were afraid to take these kinds of cases."

He went on to say, "After the assassination of Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti, the Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs, Mr. Francis could be a next target of the Taliban and extremists. The Government must ensure his security."

Please pray for the protection of Joseph Francis, Naveed Walter and all those willing to stand up for the rights of the Christian minority in Pakistan. Thank the Lord for the way He has equipped them to do this good work. Pray He will give them favour and, through them and others like them, bring about great change in this nation for religious freedom.

Threatened by her own son

In the South Asian village where he serves, Gospel for Asia-supported pastor Tarik Pradhan has witnessed people’s lives change as they chose to follow Jesus, reported ASSIST News. But as people have joined the fellowship of believers, anti-Christian fanatics have begun opposing Pastor Tarik’s ministry and the congregation.

On February 20, Pastor Tarik was leading a prayer meeting in Hemali’s house. During this time of worship and prayer, Hemali’s older son, Kamraj, and a group of villagers approached the house. They intended to beat the believers with rods and other weapons.

When Hemali saw the group of men, she sent Pastor Tarik and the rest of the believers out of the house through another entrance. Kamraj and his companions entered the room but didn’t find the congregation. Angry, they threatened Hemali and the other believing family members, saying that if they continued to go to church, they would kill them.

This threat has put stress on Hemali and her family. Pastor Tarik requested prayer for the family to stand firm in the Lord and for the following needs:

• Kamraj to open his heart to Jesus and commit to serving God.
• The believers in the congregation to remain strong in their faith.
• God to prevent further hindrances from stopping the Sunday worship services.

Please lift these petitions to the Lord, and also ask the Lord to strengthen Pastor Tarik as he ministers in this village.

5 Iranian believers convicted of ‘crimes against the order’

The Islamic Republic of Iran is continuing its campaign of persecution against evangelical and non-denominational house churches, reported ASSIST News Service on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Revolutionary Court of Shiraz held a trial for the following individuals for actions against the Islamic order: Behrouz Sadegh-Khandjani, Mehdi Furutan, Mohammad Beliad, Parviz Khalaj and Nazly Beliad.

Jason DeMars of www.presmettruthmn.com reported, “They have been sentenced to one year in prison and have 20 days to appeal the sentencing. I ask that you pray for their safety and for wisdom to know the direction that God is leading them in their lives.”

DeMars said that when an individual in Iran becomes a Christian, there is the immediate understanding of the suffering that goes along with that decision.

There is pressure from their Muslim family as their conversion causes the family shame. There is the pressure that the government will find out about their conversion, arrest them, torture them and put them in prison. Currently, the political situation in Iran forces them to either meet completely secretly in extremely small groups, or not to meet at all.

Additionally, when Iranians apply for a job, they must disclose what religion they are a part of. Christians are not typically hired, said DeMars. Therefore their financial situations tend to be quite difficult.

You can read the full report here.

Please pray for the five imprisoned believers as well as other Christians in Iran who are suffering for their faith in Jesus Christ. Pray God will provide each with strength and safety and that their imprisonment will only increase their faith in Him. Pray for the leaders of Iran, that God would open their eyes and lead them to repentance.

Iranian Christian pastor detained

Pastor Benham Irani with his wife and one
of his children
(Photo: Present Truth Ministries)

An Iranian Christian pastor has been detained by Iranian authorities, reported ASSIST News yesterday.

According to Jason DeMars of Present Truth Ministries, Pastor Behnam Irani has been convicted of “actions against the Order.” DeMars said this means Irani’s organized house-church meetings and other Christian activities.

Pastor Behnam is a husband and father of two children.

You can read the full report here.

Please pray for Pastor Irani’s release. Pray he will be filled with strength to endure for Jesus and for peace for his family. Pray God will work in the hearts of the Iranian authorities who have detained him.

Pakistani government to ‘protect minorities at all costs’ says the country’s president

ASSIST News reported yesterday that the Pakistani government will protect the country’s minorities at all costs in accordance with the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah—the founder of Pakistan—and the constitution of Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari has said.

According to Asian News International (ANI), Zardari made these comments while talking to the Federal Minister for Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti, who called on him at the presidential palace on January 20.

“No one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands nor will anyone be allowed to misuse the country's laws,” the president was quoted as saying.

The president also asked Bhatti to continue the consultations with scholars and ulema (legal scholars) of different faiths and denominations with a view to building consensus against the misuse of Pakistani laws against the minorities and vulnerable groups in the country.

“The case of Pakistani-Christian woman Asia Bibi, who has been sentenced to death on blasphemy charges, has drawn huge attention in the media, and there is deep sympathy for her,” said the news story. “Several NGOs have called for repealing Pakistan’s blasphemy law because it was ‘being used by illiterate masses in rural areas to hoodwink the minorities.’”

Asia Bibi moving to new prison

Asia Bibi will be moved to a new prison.

Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian woman sentenced to death on blasphemy charges, will soon be moved to an all-women prison due to security concerns, reported ASSIST News Service yesterday.

Sheikhupura Prison superintendent Khalid Sheikh told the media, "I have received directives from the Punjab Home Department to shift Asia from Sheikhupura district jail to an all-women jail in Multan, as her life is in danger in Sheikhupura jail."

The transfer is expected to take place within the week.

Since Asia’s sentence, the Christian community has been raising concerns to the authorities and Shahbaz Bhatti, the Federal Minister for Minority Affairs, claiming Asia is not receiving sufficient security in spite of life threats from militants and rewards for her death being announced across Pakistan.

Asia`s husband, Ashiq Masih, also appealed to the authorities to raise her security, as her life is in danger.

You can read the full report here.

Christian checked for Coptic tattoo; killed

Yesterday, a gunman killed one Egyptian Christian and injured five others on a northbound train in Upper Egypt, reports ASSIST News Service. The suspect is in now in custody.

Media sources say that a gunman entered the train while it was stationed at the southern Egyptian city of Samalout in the Minya governorate, some 161 miles south of Cairo.

Security sources said that the assailant checked passengers for the green cross traditionally tattooed on the wrists of Coptic Christians in Egypt. After identifying several Copts, the culprit killed one of them and injured five others.

The same sources said that investigators are currently looking into the possibility that the assailant was an off-duty Muslim policeman. The victim has been identified as Fathy Said Ebeid, 71, and the wounded include his wife, another man and three other women.

You can read the full report here.

Violence toward believers in southern Mexico

Troubles for believers in southern Mexico have not ended.

Terrible violence has been sparking toward tribal believers in southern Mexico, reports ASSIST News Service.

Dr. Dale W. Kietzman, founder of Latin American Indian Ministries told ASSIST News, “While we want to be positive about the year ahead, we have to report to you a real concern for tribal believers in southern Mexico. The troubles for believers there have not ended!”

Here are confirmed reports of events that have happened just in the past few months, all from the Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca:

• A pastor was waylaid and killed as he travelled back to his village after a doctor’s appointment in Comitan, Chiapas.
• Three pastors were killed in Santa Maria El Tule, Oaxaca.
• Four families of believers were expelled from the village of Chilil, Chiapas.
• The church in Llanos, Chiapas, was destroyed last June, and believers put on notice. This month, six homes were destroyed and the families expelled from the community.
• In Mitziton, Chiapas, the church and many homes were destroyed, and 50 families were expelled from the community.
• In Nachug, Chiapas, 86 families were expelled.
• At the end of 2010, 498 Indian believers were living as street people, homeless in the city of San Cristobal, where they had sought protection.

Kietzman, who is the former US director of Wycliffe Bible Translators, says much of the persecution is the result of conflict that develops when new believers decide they cannot participate in their villages' drunken fiestas to saints who have come to represent ancient pagan gods. The responsiblity for funding the fiestas is passed around to families of the community, and the conflict begins when an evangelical family is supposed to purchase the liquor but refuses to do so.

You can read the full report here.

Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Chiapas and Oaxaca. Pray the Lord would make them strong to lovingly and boldly proclaim the gospel (Ephesians 6:18-20). Pray that their passion for Christ will be the light that draws their family members and fellow villagers to Jesus (Matthew 5:14-16). Pray also that increased persecution will result in increased boldness among believers (Acts 4:29-31).

Pakistan’s government refuses to review blasphemy laws

Pakistan's government is refusing to
review blasphemy laws like the one
under which Asia Bibi has been
sentenced to death.

The government of Pakistan has backed out its commitment to review the country’s controversial Islamic blasphemy laws, reported ASSIST News yesterday.

The government’s move is to appease Islamic religious groups who have announced that they will shutter their businesses on New Year’s Eve to protest against any move to amend the laws.

On Thursday, the Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Syed Khursheed Shah, requested that merchants and those in favour of the blasphemy laws call off their nationwide, December 31 shutdown of businesses, because the government has no intention of changing or repealing these laws.

One week ago, the Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, declared that despite various pressures the government would definitely review the laws.

In the 1980s, the late General Zia-ul-Haq introduced Islamic laws against the “blasphemy” of Islam, Muhammad, the Qur’an and Islamic personalities. The laws have widely been misused against Christians, Ahmadis, Hindus and liberal Muslims. Christians and human rights groups have been demanding for the total repeal of the laws.

On Wednesday, the government in the National Assembly categorically denied any move to amend or repeal the blasphemy laws.

“The government considers that its prime responsibility is to protect this law, and it will never support any private members’ bill even from the treasury benches in this regard,” said the federal minister in a policy statement.

You can read the full report here.

Christmas celebrations held in Orissa, India; Christian's vehicle torched

Suranjan Naik with his vehicle
(photo from GCIC)

Several Christians were able to celebrate Christmas in Orissa state, India, this past weekend, say reports from All India Christian Council and ASSIST News Service.

In Bodimunda village, Christians reportedly celebrated Christmas together for the first time in three years. In Barakahma village, police kept watch as approximately 2,000 prayed together.

The peaceful celebrations came as a relief for many, as there had been fear that the holidays could lead to a flare-up in anti-Christian violence, especially as the state has been the site of intense attacks in recent years (see here). Fear of attacks prevented Christians in remote villages from holding Christmas celebrations.

Christmas weekend was not entirely without incident in Orissa, as a believer's vehicle was set on fire in Phulbani on December 25. Suranjan Naik and his wife, a nurse, were staying on campus at the government hospital. They were away attending a Christian celebration when their vehicle was set ablaze.

Thank the Lord that many brothers and sisters in Orissa were able to gather and joyously celebrate the birth of their Saviour, Jesus Christ. Pray a spirit of trust in the Lord, not fear, will govern the hearts and minds of believers in India. Pray those seeking to harm Christians in India because of their faith will repent of their ways and come to know Christ as Lord.

Blasts in Jos kill 32 on Christmas Eve

BBC News is reporting at least 32 people—many assumed to be Christians—were killed in bomb blasts in central Nigeria on December 24. The bombs were detonated during Christmas Eve celebrations near the city of Jos.

No group has claimed responsibility for the string of attacks at this time. Nigeria’s president, Jonathan Goodluck, has said the government will do all it can to find those responsible for the attack.

More than 70 people were injured in the blasts.

ASSIST News Service reports that Gregory Yenlong, a spokesman for Nigeria's Plateau state, told Bloomberg news agency that there had been threats “to disrupt Christmas celebrations in Jos.”

You can read the BBC report here.

Read the full ASSIST News Service report here.

Christians in Karachi under fire

Pray for our Christian
family in Pakistan.

ASSIST News Service (ANS) is reporting local Pakistani Christians and the family of a Christian youth are receiving death threats, following the elopement and marriage of a young Christian man who converted to Islam and his young Muslim bride.

Recently in Baldia Town (located in the western part of Karachi) and Saeedabad (also in Karachi), the homes of local Christians were attacked, women were abused and household items vandalized by Muslim fanatics under the guise of “searching for a Christian youth.”

Sources say they attacked because a 20-year-old Christian man recanted his Christianity and converted to Islam to elope with an 18-year-old Muslim girl in Baldia on November 20.

Elvis Steven, a Christian lawyer and minority rights advocate, said that, although the Christian youth had contracted a court marriage and had become a Muslim, the people of the Hazara tribe “harboured a grudge against the local Christian family in particular and against all Christians of Baldia town generally.”

The father of the converted young man said that instead of protecting the Christians from Muslim fanatics, Saeedabad Police Officers launched a case against the young man and his family for allegedly abducting the young woman.

Steven said local police are “reluctant to provide security to Christians.” He also said that the Saeedabad Police and Rangers Police came forward to take security measures against Muslim radical groups only after police informers told them that radical Islamist militants were planning a massive armed attack against local Christians.

Many Christians in the area have fled from their homes to save their lives.

You can read the full report here.

Please pray for strength and courage for our brothers and sisters in Pakistan. Pray that God will make a way for them where there seems to be no way. Pray the young Pakistani man will be drawn back to Christ and that his young bride will have her heart drawn to Christ also.

Status of Christians in Hamadan Prison remains unknown

Image from FCNN video news report
on YouTube

Back in September, VOMC reported that nine Iranian Christians were arrested in Hamadan on charges of evangelistic activities. Three months later, charges against four of the individuals are still undecided.

Having heard from Mohabat News reporters and the Iranian Christian News Agency (ICNA), ASSIST News Service is reporting that Armenian-Iranian Christian Vahik Abrahamian and his wife, Sonia Keshish Avanessian, and Farsi-speaking Arash Kermanjany and Arezou Teimouri remain in jail.

Mohabat and ICNA reported that security authorities, in collaboration with the media, said the group’s purpose was to destroy the Islamic Republic of Iran. The story reportedly called them, “Zionist Christians.”

On the evening of September 4, security forces entered Vahik’s home and arrested him. Two other Christian converts were there as guests at the same time. Security officers searched the house and collected some personal belongings. Later they took the individuals to an undisclosed location.

Mohabat and ICNA sources said Vahik and Arash are incarcerated in Section 4 of the Hamadan Public Prison, and Sonia and Arezou are in the women’s section of the same facility.

Additionally, Mohabat and ICNA said judicial authorities have yet to say why these believers are still imprisoned without being formally charged.

You can read the full report here.

Please pray for the release of these believers. Pray that God will equip them to share the truth for which they suffer, even in prison. Pray that increased persecution in Iran will result in increased boldness among Christians (Acts 4:29-31).

Pastor sentenced to 3 years in Bhutan prison

Proselytism and incitement to
convert are illegal in Bhutan.

ASSIST News Service is reporting that the Bhutan High Court sentenced Gospel for Asia-supported missionary Ugyen Tashi to three years in prison for “attempting to promote civil unrest” for showing a film about Jesus.

In late May, Tashi walked for two days, carrying a generator and a projector, into interior villages of Bhutan to give people a chance to learn about Jesus. When one of the village chiefs learned of the movie’s content, he informed the chief of his district, who then called the police to arrest Tashi.

After multiple postponements and cancellations, Tashi was taken to court two months after his arrest.

GFA leaders initially met with local officials to appeal for Tashi’s release on bail, but the officials refused their petition, because they considered Tashi’s case very serious and a possible violation of Bhutan’s constitution, which states, “No person shall be compelled to belong to another faith by means of coercion or inducement.”
Tashi was asked to write a statement for the court, but his first statement was considered insufficient. He rewrote his statement nine times, paying $2.50 each time.

On August 17, the court presented all of Tashi’s statements in the presence of the officials and asked Tashi to screen the controversial film on the life of Jesus before the court the following day. Although it was reported that the court officials wanted to watch all the films Tashi had shown before a final verdict was pronounced, not one was shown.

Bhutan’s High Court declared Ugyen guilty and gave him three years in prison.

You can read the full report here.

Please pray for Pastor Tashi while he is in prison. Pray for his health, and that he will be able to effectively minister while he’s behind bars. Pray also for the other believers living in Bhutan. Pray for their protection, strength to endure persecution and discernment on how to share the Good News with those around them.