ICC Newsroom
Your leading source for persecution news
International Christian Concern staffers are experts on global persecution and pride themselves on knowing the trends and ins and outs of religious freedom. ICC’s global team, ICC Fellows, and guest scholars write breaking news stories and reports on persecution topics, countries, and regimes. ICC’s signature comprehensive report is the annual Global Persecution Index.
Filter News
Latest News
Syrian Churches Quietly Meet Following Violent Attack
April 10, 2026 Syria — While Syrian Christians usually celebrate Easter with parades and various children’s activities, no celebrations took place this year. Christians simply attended prayer meetings inside their churches. This follows an incident...
The Suffering Servant: God’s Redemptive Strategy for a Broken World
April 10, 2026 — By Pieter Vermeulen, ICC Board Member, as part of a series, “Persecuted but not Forsaken.” Throughout Scripture, we encounter a recurring pattern: the righteous suffer while the wicked often seem to prosper. From...
Continued Dangers for Lebanese Christian Population, Political Leadership
April 9, 2026 Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, United States — After a period of relative peace — at least away from the country’s southern border with Israel — Lebanon has again found itself amid a bloody kinetic war. U.N. estimates...
ADF Kills 43 Christians on Maundy Thursday
April 8, 2026 Congo, DRC — On April 2, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked Bafwakao village in Mambasa Territory, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), killing dozens of Christians. The attack occurred on Maundy Thursday, a...
Life as a Foreign Christian in Libya
April 7, 2026 Libya — It’s not easy to find a native Libyan Christian. Some sources say there are only 150 of them. And, for reasons of survival, they are not inclined to draw attention...
Easter Mourning: 1 Dead, Dozens Injured after Truck Rams into Sunrise Procession
April 7, 2026 Pakistan — A time of spiritual celebration turned into a scene of devastation early Easter Sunday when a speeding cargo truck plowed into a Christian sunrise procession in the Wazirabad district of...
South Korea Believes Kim Jong Un’s Daughter Will Be Heir
April 7, 2026 North Korea — In a briefing to South Korea’s National Assembly this week, National Intelligence Service Director Lee Jong-seok discussed neighboring North Korea’s political succession plan with lawmakers. According to Lee, Kim Jong...
Hope Walked Across the Graduation Stage
March 20, 2026 — In September 2025, five young survivors of the African Islamist terrorist group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) violence walked across a graduation stage in Butembo in the Congo. Their achievement represented...
Africa News
See All Africa News
ADF Kills 43 Christians on Maundy Thursday
April 8, 2026 ICC News — On April 2, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked Bafwakao village in Mambasa Territory, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), killing dozens of Christians. The attack occurred on Maundy Thursday, a...
Life as a Foreign Christian in Libya
April 7, 2026 ICC News — It’s not easy to find a native Libyan Christian. Some sources say there are only 150 of them. And, for reasons of survival, they are not inclined to draw attention...
Dozens Killed in Easter Attacks Across Nigeria
April 6, 2026 ICC News, Press Release — Days after the Palm Sunday massacre in Jos left at least 30 Christians dead, coordinated Easter weekend attacks across central Nigeria claimed dozens more lives, with multiple communities in Benue,...
Dozens Killed During Palm Sunday Attacks in Nigeria
March 30, 2026 ICC News — Gunmen killed at least 30 people during a Palm Sunday attack in Ungwan Rukuba, a community in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau state, Nigeria. The incident occurred during...
Middle East News
See All Middle East News
Syrian Churches Quietly Meet Following Violent Attack
April 10, 2026 ICC News — While Syrian Christians usually celebrate Easter with parades and various children’s activities, no celebrations took place this year. Christians simply attended prayer meetings inside their churches. This follows an incident...
Continued Dangers for Lebanese Christian Population, Political Leadership
April 9, 2026 ICC News — After a period of relative peace — at least away from the country’s southern border with Israel — Lebanon has again found itself amid a bloody kinetic war. U.N. estimates...
Perspective on Middle East Policy, Politics, and Persecution
April 1, 2026 ICC Fellows, ICC News — By ICC Fellow Dr. Greg Cochran What makes a home? Beyond the quality of neighborhoods and locations near good schools, houses currently for sale must compete for the attention of skilled buyers who are well-suited to scrutinize — buyers making...
Freed from Prison, Kyrgyzstan Pastor Faces Deportation
April 1, 2026 ICC News — Kyrgyzstan’s Supreme Court ordered Pastor Pavel Shreider’s release from prison on March 25, changing his sentence to a fine equivalent to three months’ pay. He now has up to 30...
South Asia News
See All South Asia News
Easter Mourning: 1 Dead, Dozens Injured after Truck Rams into Sunrise Procession
April 7, 2026 ICC News — A time of spiritual celebration turned into a scene of devastation early Easter Sunday when a speeding cargo truck plowed into a Christian sunrise procession in the Wazirabad district of...
Two Pastors Injured in Attack During Holy Week in India
April 7, 2026 ICC News — Two pastors were attacked during Holy Week in Karnataka, India, as they distributed Christian literature in a village in Shivamogga district. According to local sources, on March 31, the pastors,...
Christian School Closed in Rajasthan, India
April 6, 2026 ICC News — Often targeted by fanatic groups, a Christian school in Rajasthan, India, had its license revoked last week following allegations of “brainwashing” children and severe operational deficiencies found during inspections. The...
13-Year-Old Christian Girl Returned to Alleged Abductor After Court Ruling
April 6, 2026 ICC News — The future of a young Christian girl has taken a heartbreaking turn after a court decision allowed her to remain with a man her family said had abducted and forcibly...
Southeast Asia news
See All Southeast Asia News
South Korea Believes Kim Jong Un’s Daughter Will Be Heir
April 7, 2026 ICC News — In a briefing to South Korea’s National Assembly this week, National Intelligence Service Director Lee Jong-seok discussed neighboring North Korea’s political succession plan with lawmakers. According to Lee, Kim Jong...
Indonesia Church Forced to Close After Good Friday Celebration
April 5, 2026 ICC News — Authorities closed the Thessalonika Christian Ecumenical Fellowship Church in Teluknaga, Indonesia, after services on Friday over a “building permit issue,” forcing the congregation to worship elsewhere on Easter. The Tangerang...
Myanmar Junta Chief Nominated for Presidency After Rigged Parliamentary Election
March 31, 2026 ICC News — At the first convening of the newly elected parliament of Myanmar on Monday, the country’s military chief, Min Aung Hlaing, was nominated for the post of president. The move comes...
China’s Persecution Has No Borders
March 17, 2026 ICC News — By ICC Fellow Linda Burkle, PhD Fifteen years ago, I traveled to China with a friend and ministry partner to conduct a training conference for underground church leaders. This was our second trip...
Religious freedom in the west
See All The West News
Continued Dangers for Lebanese Christian Population, Political Leadership
April 9, 2026 ICC News — After a period of relative peace — at least away from the country’s southern border with Israel — Lebanon has again found itself amid a bloody kinetic war. U.N. estimates...
South Korea Believes Kim Jong Un’s Daughter Will Be Heir
April 7, 2026 ICC News — In a briefing to South Korea’s National Assembly this week, National Intelligence Service Director Lee Jong-seok discussed neighboring North Korea’s political succession plan with lawmakers. According to Lee, Kim Jong...
Finnish Supreme Court Convicts Christian Legislator of ‘Hate Speech’
March 27, 2026 ICC News — In a stunning reversal of previous rulings, Finland’s Supreme Court found Dr. Päivi Räsänen, a Christian legislator and former government minister, guilty of the country’s hate speech laws on March 26. “I am...
Ukrainian Pastor Exiled from Russian-Controlled Region
March 27, 2026 ICC News — Russian officials recently ordered a Ukrainian pastor to leave the Russian-occupied Luhansk region, claiming he led church services without their permission. Vladimir Rytikov, 66, was given two weeks’ notice, starting March 21, to leave the region. Russian authorities refused...
ICC Fellows
See All ICC Fellows News
Perspective on Middle East Policy, Politics, and Persecution
April 1, 2026 ICC Fellows, ICC News — By ICC Fellow Dr. Greg Cochran What makes a home? Beyond the quality of neighborhoods and locations near good schools, houses currently for sale must compete for the attention of skilled buyers who are well-suited to scrutinize — buyers making...
Economic Persecution (Part 1 of 5)
March 9, 2026 ICC Fellows, ICC News — By Lisa Navarrette, ICC Fellow When persecution is discussed, it is usually framed in images of violence: burned churches, imprisoned pastors, mobs chanting in the streets. These images are real, and...
Update on Syria: A New Era or More of the Same for Syrian Christians?
September 19, 2025 ICC Fellows — By Linda Burkle, Ph.D., ICC Fellow Several years ago, while in Jordan, I had the privilege of participating in a feeding and grocery distribution program for Syrian refugees. We served...
Word Wrangling in the Sahel Region
May 8, 2025 ICC Fellows — By Dr. Greg Cochran, ICC Fellow One of the greatest half-truths ever unleashed on humanity was the pithy encouragement parents commonly passed down to their children: “Sticks and stones may...
Why we Include news
A holistic approach to
persecution ministry
Our mission is to uplift and support those who face oppression for their faith in Christ, ensuring that they are not alone in their struggles. For three decades, we’ve work tirelessly to provide practical help, raise awareness, and advocate for religious freedom. Providing short-term and holistic aid helps believers in the wake of devastation while also setting up them and their children to break the cycle of generational persecution.
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Proverbs 31:8-9 (NIV)
Make a difference today
Here’s how you can help
From advocacy letter writing to donating money and volunteering, there are many ways you can help.
Become a
Monthly Donor
Share the Stories of the Persecuted
