Belarus has banned rights group Christian Vision and labeled it “extremist” for documenting religious freedom abuses by the Belarusian secret police, according to Forum 18.
An imprisoned Ukrainian Orthodox Church priest has been sent 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) from his parish in Russian-occupied Ukraine to a hard labor camp in Russia to serve his 14-year sentence on false espionage charges, according to rights group Forum 18.
A pastor in Russia could face six years in jail or a fine of 1 million rubles ($9,583USD) for preaching “on the basis of Holy Scripture” that the invasion of Ukraine was wrong and Christians should not fight in it, a religious rights outlet reported.
Russian officials have released a Ukrainian Orthodox priest jailed for 107 days following his conviction on drug charges and a suspended sentence that includes restrictions and monitoring.
A Russian preacher who helps the homeless could face years in prison and has been fined by authorities in his home country for opposing the invasion of Ukraine.
Authorities in Turkmenistan have threatened a church pastor with prison and pressured his non-Christian relatives to urge him to stop practicing his faith, according to rights group Forum 18.
The Russian-controlled Crimean Supreme Court on Thursday (Aug. 2) sentenced a Ukrainian Orthodox priest to 14 years in a harsh labor camp for conviction on false espionage charges.
Russian occupation forces began dismantling a worship building of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) in the Crimean city of Yevpatoria on Sunday (July 21), according to published reports.
Azerbaijan is guilty of “cultural genocide” for destroying Christian sites in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and falsely claiming that Armenian religious presence there never existed, according to a report by a legal advocacy group.
A Ukrainian Protestant in her early 50s has received a seven-year jail term for remarks at a home prayer meeting in a Russian-occupied city, while a Ukrainian Orthodox Church priest has disappeared following his arrest, according to Forum 18.
Three days of mourning have begun in Russia’s predominantly Muslim Republic of Dagestan after a spate of terror attacks on Sunday (June 23) left a Russian Orthodox priest, three other civilians and at least 15 police officers dead, Russian officials said.
The Georgia government has enacted a law that aims to persecute churches, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and independent media, according to a renowned law professor.
