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Subject:PERSECUTION REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 23, 2003.

Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 16:55:44 -0700

From: "Bruce Atchison" <ve6xtc@telusplanet.net>

To: "Ted" <thilts@help-for-you.com>

CC: "John M. Lindner" <jml@christianaid.org>

PERSECUTION REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 23, 2003.

Mission Network News presents this story of Christians being persecuted.

Peru:

Resurgence of Shining Path terrorists threatens ministry

Peruvian Shining Path terrorists are seeking to make a comeback in the country.Without a strong government hand to control the groups, they are attacking peaceful tribes as a ploy to grab power. Christian Aid Mission's Gabriel Prada." They have been attacking and harassing and virtually kicking people out of their villages. At times, they will take control of one of the villages and they will demand that the men and the women harvest their crops and fish and give them the food for them to live off in the jungle." The attacks come at a critical time. Christian Aid works extensively among the Ashaninkas, who are trying to gain the confidence of a newly discovered tribe and win them to the Lord. "The leader basically requests prayer, the leader of the ministry. He says, "in the past, when the terrorist problems were huge in the country and there was so much devastation going on, he says that prayer is what turned the tide and he believes that that is the case this time around as well."

Please see http://www.mnnonline.org for details of this story and also missions news bulletins.

Christian Aid Mission reports these persecution-related incidents.

Nepal:

Once-Jailed Nepali Christians Cleared of All Charges

Three Nepali workers who were jailed for four-and-a-half months on charges of proselytizing were finally cleared of all charges on September 11. A gospel worker and two fellow-believers were apprehended by police and jailed in February on charges of proselytizing because Bibles and Christian literature were found in their bags. Even though no evidence of proselytizing was found and the defendants' lawyer tried to convince the district judge that Nepal's 1990 constitution, while barring conversions, still allowed every person permission to practice his or her religion, the judge sentenced them to jail.

A month later when five other believers went to visit them in jail,the police found Christian literature in their bags, and put them in jail, also. They were held overnight and released the next day.

Christian leaders in Nepal attempted to make appeals on behalf of the original three and once tried to submit a letter to the king,but were turned away by the secretary, who promised to phone the judges to authorize them to set the Christians free. Yet the brothers remained in jail until June 20, when they were released on probation by a higher court pending final resolution of the case.

The court decision on September 11 found no evidence that the brothers were preaching or attempting to convert others to Christianity. Not one person testified that he was preached to. So the court absolved them of all charges.

India:

Dara Singh Convicted of Murder

Dara Singh along with 12 other suspects were convicted of murder Monday in the fiery death of Graham Staines and his two sons in January 1999.

An earlier court had ruled Singh not guilty, but the Orissa District Court on September 15 declared Darah Sing and 12 co-defendants guilty of conspiracy, unlawful assembly, burning of a vehicle and house, and murder. A thirteenth man was acquitted due to lack of evidence.

Australian Missionary Graham Staines and his two boys, Phillip, 11,and Timothy, 7, were sleeping in their Jeep station wagon in Manoharpur village in Keonjhar district of Orissa when a band of Bajrang Dal, worshippers of the monkey god, Hanuman, entered the village apparently led by Dara Singh. They poured fuel over the vehicle, set it on fire, and then prevented the occupants from escaping and other villagers from rescuing them.

Though some said he was murdered because he was converting people to Christianity, his widow, Gladys, said he never converted anyone but simply shared the Word of God as he ministered mostly to leprosy patients. She said, "I have forgiven Dara." The defense reportedly plans to appeal.

Please check http://www.christianaid.org for missions news and how to get involved in spreading the gospel.

Forum 18 News presents these religious rights violations.

Latvia:

New hope to change religion law?

Ringolds Balodis of the Latvian Justice Ministry has told Forum 18 News Service that he has formally proposed removing from Latvia's religion law a clause banning registration of more than one association of any one denomination. The Saeima (Latvia's parliament) may decide the issue within the next two months. Balodis' proposal has been welcomed by leaders of some religious minorities contacted by Forum 18, as full state registration grants rights such as being able to conduct officially-recognised marriages or teach religion in state schools. But Russian Orthodox Church Metropolitan Aleksandr (Kudryashov) of Riga opposes the proposal and wants it to apply only to churches such as the Lutherans and the Catholics, as the proposal would allow full state registration of other churches with the title Orthodox.

Belarus:

Local re-registration barely begun

Ten months after the highly restrictive religion law came into force and the compulsory re-registration process began, Forum 18 News Service has learnt that only a small proportion of religious organisations have re-registered. Only 27 of 140 have re-registered at national level, while progress is especially slow for those that must re-register with the local authorities. "Things aren't moving at the local level," Bishop Sergei Khomich, head of the Pentecostal Union, complained to Forum 18. As the new law criminalizes unregistered religious activity, re-registration is essential to the continuing legal operation of individual religious organisations.

Please go to http://www.forum18.org to learn more about religious rights violations in communist and post- communist lands.

Barnabas Fund reports this persecution incident.

Pakistan:

Aid worker threatened by community.

Prayers are requested for the protection of the fulltime Christian worker who administers a Barnabas Fund feeding programme in Pakistan. Powerful community leaders in the area resent the way the Christians are no longer so dependent on their employers and landlords, and cannot be so easily exploited any more. He has survived one assassination attempt already.

Please see http://www.barnabasfund.org for missions news and ways to give Christians practical help.

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