world news
Church leader jailed for printing Bibles released on bail; Christian founder of special-needs school arrested
Authorities in China released on bail a church leader jailed since August 2023 for printing Bibles, while the Christian co-founder of a special children’s school has been arrested on charges of “inciting disturbances” for his human rights activism.
The Haidian Branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau charged Zhu Bin, co-founder of the Beijing Special Children School, with “inciting disturbances” on Sept. 29 and were holding him in the Haidian District Detention Center, according to human rights outlet Bitter Winter.
Authorities have repeatedly raided and harassed Zhu’s school, the outlet reported. An advocate for social justice and welfare, since the COVID-19 outbreak he has made significant contributions to charity, raising funds for patients and disaster victims, according to the rights outlet.
“When the scandal of the ‘Chained Mother of Eight’ erupted in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, in 2022, Zhu Bin called for an investigation by collecting signatures and mailing a petition to the National People’s Congress,” Bitter Winter reported. “The scandal involved a man presented as a model CCP [Chinese Communist Party] activist who bought from human traffickers a woman who gave him eight children and kept her chained for years.”
Zhu’s petition made him a nationally known figure and led to his detention, the outlet stated.
In Shunde, Guangdong Province, the Shunde District People’s Court released on bail Shunde Shengjia Church elder Zhu Longfei on Oct. 8 after 14 months in jail. Zhu faces charges of “illegal business operations” for printing Bible study materials for use within the church, according to advocacy group China Aid. Zhu and others lead an unofficial church free from the controls and interference of the government-controlled Three-Self Church.
Zhu and siblings Zhu Longjiang and Zhu Qiaoling were all detained when their 79-year-old mother died of illness on March 15, according to the advocacy group.
“The three siblings were all detained in the detention center and unable to say a final goodbye to their mother in the hospital before she died, nor could they attend their mother’s funeral,” China Aid reported.
Zhu Longfei was arrested on Aug. 9, 2023. More than three months before his arrest, on May 24, 2023, Shunde police and other departments had raided his church and arrested Pastor Deng Yanxiang, deacon Zhu Longjiang, deacon Wang Weicai and Zhu Qiaoling on suspicion of “illegal business operations.”
“Two Bible study venues were also raided by over 100 people, and a large number of books, tables and chairs were taken away that day,” China Aid reported.
On Nov. 30, 2023, the case of Zhu Longfei and that of the previously detained Pastor Deng Yanxiang, deacon Zhu Longjiang, deacon Wang Weicai and Zhu Qiaoling were combined into one case prosecuted by the Shunde District People’s Procuratorate.
“The church’s printing of devotional materials (‘Daily Scripture Interpretation’) for internal use was labeled as ‘illegal business operations’ and characterized as ‘printing and distributing illegal publications that seriously endanger social order and disrupt market order, with particularly serious circumstances,’” China Aid reported.
A trial was held on Aug. 5-9, and during a second one on Aug. 19-30, the court on Aug. 23 granted bail to siblings Zhu Longjiang and Zhu Qiaoling. At this writing, Pastor Deng Yanxiang and deacon Wang Weicai were still detained at Nanhai District Detention Center.
“Lawyers hope that God will hear their prayers, comfort their families, and let them be released soon as well,” China Aid reported.
In Linfen City, Shanxi Province, female preacher Yang Rongli of the Sola Fide network of churches on Oct. 3 spent her 66th birthday in jail at Yaodu District Detention Center awaiting trial on charges of “fraud,” Bitter Winter reported.
Her Golden Lampstand church had continued to hold outdoor services in 2021 following authorities’ destruction of their $2.6 million worship site, and Yang and many other church leaders and co-workers were arrested on Aug. 7, 2021, by police in Yaodu District, Linfen City on charges of “fraud,” according to the outlet.
Except for five members released on bail, Yang, her husband, Pastor Wang Xiaoguang, and six others were formally arrested by the Yaodu District Procuratorate,” and the case was transferred to the Linfen City Procuratorate for review and prosecution, according to Bitter Winter.
Unless again postponed, their trial was due to take place on Oct. 22. Yang, who suffers from diabetes for which she has been denied treatment, has suffered deteriorating health, Bitter Winter reported.
While constructing the Golden Lampstand Cathedral in Linfen City in 2004, officials harassed the project with tactics such as cutting off water and electricity, the outlet reported.
“In 2009, when officials recognized the commercial value of the church’s location and sought to demolish the Golden Lampstand Church, they met with strong resistance,” Bitter Winter reported. “Consequently, the Fushan County Government in Linfen City responded with severe retaliation.”
On Sept. 13, 2009, more than 500 police officers surrounded the site and its Gospel Shoe Factory, injuring more than 100 Christians. On Oct. 11, 2009, Linfen City Police arrested Yang under charges of “illegal occupation of agricultural land” and “gathering a crowd to disrupt traffic.” She was sentenced on Nov. 25, 2009, to seven years in prison and fined 30,000 yuan ($4,245 USD) under these charges.
She served her sentence in Xinkang Prison and was released on Oct. 10, 2016.
After the new arrest in 2021, her trial has been repeatedly postponed, according to Bitter Winter. The Oct. 22 trial was scheduled to take place in Yaodu District Court.
China ranked 19th on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
Sources:Christian Post
world news
നൈജീരിയയിൽ ക്രൈസ്തവ കൂട്ടക്കൊല തുടരുന്നു; 19 പേരെ കൊലപ്പെടുത്തി
നൈജീരിയയിലെ പ്ലാറ്റോ സ്റ്റേറ്റിൽ ഫുലാനി തീവ്രവാദികൾ 19 പേരെ കൊലപ്പെടുത്തി. മുൻപ് തീവ്രവാദികൾ തട്ടിക്കൊണ്ടുപോയ വ്യക്തിയും അതിൽ ഉൾപ്പെടുന്നു. ഡിസംബർ ഒന്നിനാണ് ആക്രമണങ്ങൾ നടന്നത്.
ഫുലാനി തീവ്രവാദികളെന്നു കരുതുന്ന ആറ് തോക്കുധാരികൾ ഡിസംബർ ഒന്നിന് റിയോം കൗണ്ടിയിലെ ക്വി ഏരിയയിലെ ദുവാങ് ഗ്രാമത്തിൽ മോട്ടോർ സൈക്കിളിൽ സഞ്ചരിക്കുകയായിരുന്ന രണ്ട് ക്രിസ്ത്യാനികളെ പതിയിരുന്ന് ആക്രമിച്ച് കൊലപ്പെടുത്തിയതായി മനുഷ്യാവകാശ അഭിഭാഷകൻ അറ്റോർണി ഡാലിയോപ് സോളമൻ മവന്തിരിയുടെ പത്രക്കുറിപ്പിൽ പറയുന്നു.
അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ മൃതദേഹം കണ്ടെത്തിയത് ഒരു മണിക്കൂറിലധികം നടത്തിയ തിരച്ചിലിനുശേഷമാണ്. പ്രദേശത്ത് നിലയുറപ്പിച്ച സൈനിക ഉദ്യോഗസ്ഥർ പ്രദേശം സന്ദർശിച്ച് മൃതദേഹങ്ങൾ മോർച്ചറിയിലേക്കു കൊണ്ടുവന്നതായി മവന്തിരി പറഞ്ഞു.
Sources:azchavattomonline.com
world news
Islamic Extremists Kill Pastor, Christian Woman in Nigeria
Nigeria — A pastor and Christian businesswoman were killed in two separate attacks on Dec. 6 in Taraba state, Nigeria.
The first attack occurred at midnight in the Mayo Dasa area of Jalingo, the state capital. Reports from the Taraba State Police Command spokesperson, Abdullahi Usman, reveal that assailants entered the home of a young businesswoman and shot her to death. In a separate attack in the Jerbanbur area, a clergyman was murdered in his home.
Residents have expressed concerns regarding the attacks, and some have identified the attackers as Muslim extremists, with accusations pointing to more than 100 deaths of Christians since January. However, authorities have only categorized the attackers as unidentified gunmen.
The latest attacks reflect a broader trend of violence against Christians in Taraba and surrounding states. Notably, in November 2023, Oluwakemi Moses Konye, a pastor’s wife, was killed while traveling with her infant child. Such incidents, despite the presence of the military and police, highlight the ongoing security challenges that Christians face in Nigeria.
Advocates for Christian rights are calling for increased accountability and a more responsive approach from authorities regarding the plight of persecuted communities. Many believe that these targeted attacks indicate a concerning trend aimed at destabilizing Christian populations in Nigeria’s Northern and Central regions.
Sources:persecution
world news
മലയാളികളേ യുകെ വിളിക്കുന്നു; തൊഴിലവസരങ്ങളിലേക്ക് റിക്രൂട്ട്മെന്റ്, അപേക്ഷ ക്ഷണിച്ചു
തിരുവനന്തപുരം: യുകെയില് തൊഴിലവസരം. യുകെ മെന്റല് ഹെല്ത്ത് സ്പെഷ്യാലിറ്റിയില് നഴ്സ് (സൈക്യാട്രി) തസ്തികയിലേയ്ക്കുളള ഒഴിവുകളിലേയ്ക്ക് നോര്ക്ക റൂട്ട്സ് റിക്രൂട്ട്മെന്റ് സംഘടിപ്പിക്കുന്നു. ബിഎസ്സി നഴ്സിങ്/ ജിഎൻഎം വിദ്യാഭ്യാസ യോഗ്യതയും ഐഇഎൽടിഎസ്/ ഒഇടി യു.കെ സ്കോറും, മെന്റല് ഹെല്ത്തില് സിബിടി യോഗ്യതയും നേടിയ ഉദ്യോഗാര്ത്ഥികള്ക്ക് അപേക്ഷിക്കാം.
സൈക്യാട്രി സ്പെഷ്യാലിറ്റിയില് കുറഞ്ഞത് 18 മാസത്തെ പ്രവൃത്തി പരിചയവും വേണം. [email protected] എന്ന ഇമെയിൽ വിലാസത്തിൽ ബയോഡാറ്റ, ഐഇഎൽടിഎസ്/ ഒഇടി സ്കോർ കാര്ഡ് , യോഗ്യത തെളിയിക്കുന്ന സർട്ടിഫിക്കറ്റുകള്, പാസ്സ്പോർട്ട് എന്നിവയുടെ പകർപ്പുകള് സഹിതം 2024 ഡിസംബര് 20നകം അപേക്ഷ നല്കേണ്ടതാണ്.
കൂടുതല് വിവരങ്ങള്ക്ക് 0471-2770536, 539, 540, 577 എന്നീ നമ്പറുകളിലോ (ഓഫീസ് സമയത്ത്, പ്രവൃത്തിദിനങ്ങളില്) 24 മണിക്കൂറും പ്രവര്ത്തിക്കുന്ന നോര്ക്ക ഗ്ലോബല് കോണ്ടാക്ട് സെന്ററിന്റെ ടോള് ഫ്രീ നമ്പറുകളായ 1800 425 3939 (ഇന്ത്യയില് നിന്നും) +91-8802 012 345 (വിദേശത്തുനിന്നും, മിസ്സ്ഡ് കോള് സര്വ്വീസ്) ബന്ധപ്പെടാവുന്നതാണ്. www.norkaroots.org, www.nifl.norkaroots.org എന്നീ വെബ്ബ്സൈറ്റുകളിലും വിവരങ്ങൾ ലഭ്യമാണ്.
Sources:azchavattomonline.com
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