Tajik Pastor Released Early After 3 Years in Prison

December 19, 2019 — 12/19/2019 Tajikistan (International Christian Concern) – Early on December 18, Tajik Pastor Bakhrom Kholmatov, was released from prison. Kholmatov was the pastor of Good News of Grace Protestant Church in...

Court Refuses Appeal of Couple Fined for Possessing Christian Literature

June 22, 2019 — 06/22/2019 Azerbaijan (International Christian Concern)- On June 4, 2019, the Shirvan Appeal Court rejected a Baptist couple’s appeal against fines accrued on them for possessing religious literature in their home...

American Priest’s Heart for Kyrgyzstan

March 12, 2019 — 3/12/19 Kyrgyzstan (International Christian Concern)- All religious organizations are required to register with the government in Kyrgyzstan. Of the 300 registered groups, more than 210 of those are Christian churches....

Christians in Kyrgyzstan Suffer Under Government Indifference

March 11, 2019 — 3/11/19 Kyrgyzstan (International Christian Concern)- In the aftermath of an October 2018 attack on Eldos Sattar uuly of the Isskyk-Kul Region of Kyrgyzstan, several other Christians and friends of Sattar...

Man in Tajikistan Told He Cannot Bury His Christian Wife

June 28, 2018 — ICC Note: Local Muslims in a Tajikistan village refused to allow a Christian man, Mihrab, to bury his wife until he converted back to Islam. Both the husband and wife...

Students and Church in Russia Punished for Worship Videos

June 26, 2018 — ICC Note: Two African students from a Pentecostal church in Russia have been fined and ordered deported for being in videos of church worship services. In addition to punishing the...

Uzbek Christians Jailed and Fined for Worshiping

June 21, 2018 — ICC Note: One Christian was imprisoned and three others were fined for worshiping without state permission in Uzbekistan. The Christians appealed that they had not broken the Constitution and received...

No One Knows What’s in Kazakhstan’s Mystery Religious Amendment

June 5, 2018 — ICC Note: Kazakhstan is seeking to amend its Religion Law which requires religious groups to register in order to operate legally. The Majilis, the lower house in Kazakhstan’s parliament, approved...

Kazakh President to Receive Lifetime Authority with New Bill

June 4, 2018 — ICC Note: The draft of a new bill allowing Kazakhstan’s president Nursultan Nazarbaev to remain the head of Kazakhstan’s Security Council for life was recently passed by the upper house...

Are ISIS Militants Going Back to Kyrgyzstan?

May 29, 2018 — ICC Note: Kyrgyz authorities estimate that about 600 citizens traveled to Iraq and Syria to train with extremist groups like ISIS. Within the last 12 months, there has been a...

Russian Citizens Turned Families of ISIS Fighters Returning to North Caucasus Region

May 24, 2018 — ICC Note: Ramzan Kadyrov, appointed president of Chechnya appears to be seeking thousands of Russian citizens who are family members of ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria. Many of these...

Human Rights Watchdog Group To Visit Uzbekistan

May 23, 2018 — ICC Note: Amnesty International, a human rights watchdog, is visiting Uzbekistan for the first time since 2004. Uzbekistan has made a few steps in promoting human rights but is still...

Russia’s Constitutional Court Clarifies Anti-Missionary Law

May 18, 2018 — ICC Note: Russia passed an anti-missionary amendment in 2016 to stop both foreign and domestic religious persons from spreading their beliefs. Anyone caught speaking, passing out religious literature, or any...

Russia Uses the Law to Restrict Religious Freedom

April 19, 2018 — ICC Note: Russian authorities are using administrative codes about missionary activities and land use policies to restrict freedom of religion. Two administrative codes prohibit ‘missionary’ activity which means talking about...

Kazakh Institute Requests Personal Information on Minors from Selected Churches

April 12, 2018 — ICC Note: An institute in Kazakhstan has requested selected Christian places of worship to provide the personal data of anyone under the age of 18 who attends worship. It is...

Uzbek Authorities Harass Children and Raid Churches

March 20, 2018 — ICC Note: In Uzbekistan, religious minorities continue to face intense government harassment for their faith. Government officials are raiding churches, hindering Christians from meeting with one another, questioning children about...