President Trump passes Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act
On June 17, President Trump personally signed the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act following its approval in both the House and Senate in late May
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Updates on Universal Periodic Review
Image by Pezibear from Pixabay On June 9, 2020, following the Universal Periodic Review of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Kazakhstan, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights published letters to be sent to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the two countries, respectively, addressing the main human rights concerns that will be …
New Report Reveals the Increasing Probability of Genocide in Nigeria
In the new report Nigeria: Unfolding Genocide?, the All Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief reveals the extent to which “extreme challenges,” such as mass unemployment and isolation caused by the pandemic, are “nothing new” for Nigerian Christians, and perhaps may be the least of their problems.
USCIRF Releases Vietnam Country Update
In June, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom released an update on religious freedom conditions in Vietnam, with special focus on religious prisoners of conscience among the Hoa Hao Buddhists, Christians, and Catholics, who are detained for a multitude of reasons including failure to register religious activities under the strict Law on Belief …
North Korean Couple Killed During Attempted Escape
A North Korean couple has been shot by firing squad immediately following their attempted escape via the border with South Korea, according to Radio Free Asia. A North Korean citizen from Ryanggang, the city in which the couple lived prior to their untimely death, has explained that the middle-aged couple had received a call from …
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Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi’s Brother Brutally Murdered in Sheikhupura
As many members of the international religious freedom and human rights community will remember, Asia Bibi is a Pakistani laborer who was convicted in 2010 of blasphemy following an incident in which she was accused by three Muslim coworkers of making blasphemous comments about the Prophet. Despite Asia’s claims that she did not make such …
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Pakistan’s New Minority Commission: Still A Castle in the Sky
The much-awaited commission on minorities was finally approved in a Federal Cabinet meeting in May, after six years on the fence. Yet while the headline sparks hope – for the minority communities on the ground – the commission is another letdown, quality did not present itself in the waiting. The Commission – envisaged in June …
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Iran Cracking Down on Christian Converts, Even Amidst the Pandemic
Middle East Concern has recently released an article explaining the situation of four Iranian Christian converts who have recently attended their hearing on May 14th in regards to the charges raised against them for participating in “house church membership.” The group of four, including Ramin Hassanpour, Kathrin Sajadpour, Moslem Rahimi, and another who wishes to …
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Former Egyptian Christian Now a Dedicated Muslim?
Coptic Solidarity recently released shocking news that 39-year-old Ranya Abd al-Masih, an Egyptian Coptic Christian schoolteacher, wife, and mother, was seen in a video just a few days after her disappearance on April 22. In this video, her entire demeanor had shifted; crying, she claimed that herself and her entire family have converted to Islam …
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Leah Sharibu’s 16th Birthday
The past few years of young Leah Sharibu’s life have been filled with uncertainty and fear. On February 18, 2018, Leah was a normal Nigerian Christian girl living a normal life, as normal as life can be for Christian minority communities in Nigeria. However, on February 19, her entire world was turned upside-down. Leah, along with …