Catching Our Eye

Sort By date
Filter by Tag
Select Country
Category

Kazakhstan passes Religion Law that ‘undermines principles of human rights’

Kazakhstan , , , , , ,
Kazakhstan's Parliament building in the capital Astana. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)
Kazakhstan’s Parliament has approved a set of wide-ranging amendments to the country’s Religion Law, refusing calls from civil society groups for a legal review by an independent body. The new set of restrictions, which are expected to further infringe upon religious freedom and have been criticised for violating international human . . . Read More

Uzbek police accused of targeting Christian women with sexual violence

Uzbekistan , , , , , ,
Christian women in Uzbekistan meet for a meal and to pray together. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)
Women belonging to a Protestant church in the western Uzbek city of Urgench face threats, harassments and sexual violence from local authorities, according to regional news agency Forum 18. The news agency highlighted the case of Nargiza Khusainova, who was reportedly walking in the streets in January when she was . . . Read More

Philippines parliament approves bill for autonomous Bangsamoro

Philippines , , , , , , , ,
The Bangsamoro Basic Law is seen as key to ending decades of conflict and stopping the growth of Islamic extremism in the southern region of Mindanao where just last year the city of Marawi was attacked by a militant group. (Photo: Getty Images)
The Philippines parliament yesterday (30 May) approved a bill that will give greater autonomy to the southern region of Mindanao, as reported by Reuters. The approval of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is another step towards the creation a new autonomous territory called Bangsamoro, named after its ‘Moro’, or Muslim, . . . Read More

US religious freedom report shows ‘no progress’ in Myanmar

Global News -- No Particular Country , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Displaced Kachin residents cross the Malikha river on 26 April to escape the fighting between the Kachin Independence Army and the Myanmar government troops. (Photo: ZAU RING HPARA/AFP/Getty Images)
Myanmar, Saudi Arabia and Iran are among the countries criticised for their religious-freedom records in the US State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report for 2017, launched yesterday (29 May) in Washington DC. The report references the violence against the predominantly Muslim Rohingya ethnic group in Myanmar, whose situation is still . . . Read More

Indonesia approves new anti-terrorism law after Surabaya church bombings

Indonesia , , , , , ,
The Surabaya Pentecostal Church's front yard and remainders of the gate's canopy after the bomb attack on 13 May in which five people died. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)
Indonesia’s government has approved a new anti-terrorism law that gives police more freedom to carry out preventative arrests and detain terrorist suspects for longer, as reported by AsiaNews. The proposed changes, which had been under discussion for two years, were approved by parliament on Friday, 25 May, just ten days after the . . . Read More

Nigeria: Seminary attacked, priest shot for ‘asking herdsmen to stop invading our school’

Nigeria , , ,
Nigeria: Seminary attacked, priest shot for ‘asking herdsmen to stop invading our school’
Armed men, believed to be Fulani herdsmen, yesterday (28 May) attacked a Catholic boys’ secondary boarding school in Jalingo, capital of the Nigerian central state of Taraba. A priest was shot in the leg, while valuables worth thousands of dollars were destroyed,  ‘This Day Live’ reported. The priest, named as . . . Read More

Uzbek pastor might face criminal charges after police repeat raids on his home

Uzbekistan , , , , , , , , , , ,
Members of Pastor Kim's church were, like these Christians elsewhere in Uzbekistan, having a meal together to celebrate Easter when the first police raid took place. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)
An Uzbek Baptist pastor, who is already serving at home a two-year sentence for having religious books, might now be facing criminal charges. Police raided Pastor Stanislav Kim’s flat in Urgench, north-western Khorezm Region, twice last month, on Easter Sunday (8 April) and a week later (15 April), while the . . . Read More