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Retired pastor tried in Tehran

Iran , ,
The trial of a retired Iranian-Armenian pastor started on September 7 at the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, nine months after his arrest, reports Mohabat News. Vruir Avanessian, 61, is accused of “action against national security” and “proselytising Farsi-speaking citizens”. His trial took place behind closed doors. Avanessian, who suffers from . . . Read More

Cemeteries closed to Nepali Christians

Christian communities in Kathmandu are being forced to bury their dead outside official cemeteries, reports Asia News. “Since the government banned the construction of a cemetery near the Hindu shrine of Pashupatinath, Christians and other religious minorities in the country must perform their funeral rites in forests, near rivers, away . . . Read More

Churches hit in Damascus suburb

Syria , ,
At least three churches have been damaged as fighting between Syrian government troops and rebels in a Christian village north of Damascus has intensified, reports Middle East Concern. Opposition fighters renewed attacks on Maaloula on September 7. Assurances had been given that no churches would be damaged. This BBC report . . . Read More

Archbishop kidnapped in Nigeria

Nigeria
Police in Nigeria are looking for the armed men who kidnapped the country’s second most senior Anglican archbishop, Ignatius Kattey, reports the BBC. He was later freed.

Islamist takeover in Dalga

Egypt ,
It’s been several weeks since the 14 August eruption of violence against Egypt’s churches, and now in-depth news accounts of the attacks and their aftermath are beginning to emerge from the mainstream media. The latest example is an absorbing report by Hamza Hendawi for the Associated Press, showing how Islamists in . . . Read More

Monastery closure hits Sinai economy

Egypt ,
Residents of the Sinai city of St. Catherine have complained they are struggling to survive following the closure of the city’s 1,500-year-old monastery two months ago, reports Al-Monitor. Egypt’s government ordered the monastery shut in early July after suspicions it was to be attacked. This is only the third time . . . Read More

UN warns of Syria ‘genocide’

Syria , , ,
A UN diplomat has warned that if the violence in Syria continues at its present rate, there is a “risk of genocide”. Mokhtar Lamani, who worked with the UN during both the Balkans war and Rwanda, told the BBC that Alawites and Christians were at most risk, and that over . . . Read More