persecuted church
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"If the heart is cleansed by the love
of Jesus Christ, and if the heart loves Him, one can resist all tortures." ~ Rev. Richard Wurmbrand
NIGERIA: Christians Targeted in Easter Monday Attack
Sources: International Christian Concern, Morning Star News, Vanguard, Daily Trust
In a devastating attack on April 21st, six people were killed and as many as 30 injured when a truck rammed into a crowd of believers who had been taking part in an Easter procession along the streets of Billiri in Gombe state. Though initially reported as
an unfortunate accident, a government-appointed committee has since determined that the incident was a deliberate attack on the Christians participating in this year's Easter celebrations.
As has been their tradition for more than 30 years, Christians in Billiri had gathered for an early morning procession of praise and worship through music and dance. During the celebration, a truck suddenly crashed into the crowd at around 7 a.m. Police initially
believed that the vehicle had suffered a brake failure. However, further investigation determined that the driver made no effort to avoid the group of believers nor give them any warning. He also had no difficulties stopping the vehicle after ploughing into
the group.
The driver, a 28-year-old man named Usman Muhammed, was arrested at the scene and subsequently charged with "reckless driving" and "dangerous driving causing death." For previously published reports on Christian persecution
in Nigeria, including video interviews, go to our .
CHINA: Young Children Detained for Participating in Bible Lesson
Sources: ChinaAid, Mohabat News
A Bible lesson for young children that had taken place at a private home in Fuyang, Anhui, was raided by police on April 29th. In total, ten children between the ages of five and six, along with five adult teachers, were taken to the police station where they
were detained for several hours. Some of the youngsters appeared to suffer severe emotional distress during the detention; and, throughout that time, the police only checked on them once.
The children were eventually released, along with three of the adults. The two others ¨C Christian women by the names of Chen Fangfang and Wang Dandan ¨C were verbally and physically assaulted before being transported to a detention centre. At the time of publishing
this report, no further information was received regarding the whereabouts of these two believers.
The religious education of children is strongly opposed by China's governing authorities, who are determined to indoctrinate the minds of youth with Communist ideologies. To learn more about the persecution of Christians in
China, go to our .
REPORT UPDATE
CHINA: Christians Sentenced for Alleged Illegal Business Activities
Sources: ChinaAid, International Christian Concern, Bitter Winter
During April 2021, Chinese authorities arrested ten Christians in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, for allegedly running an illegal business operation. In their efforts to get Bibles into the hands of as many people as possible, the
believers had legally purchased copies of God's Word at a retail price and resold them for a fee well below the original cost. (For more information on the charges against these church members, go to
.)
Four years later, the trial against the accused Christians finally came to a conclusion, resulting in nine of them receiving prison sentences and hefty fines. The convictions were based upon the contention that these followers of Jesus belonged to an unregistered
church, and therefore they were not legally allowed to sell any Bibles, even though they had been offering them for a nominal fee.
Wang Honglan received the longest sentence, which consists of four years and ten months, along with a fine of 1,000,000 yuan (approximately $190,000?CAD). She is scheduled to be released from custody on February 14th, 2026. Two others, Wang Jiale and Liu Minna,
who are to be set free on October 14th of this year, were fined 200,000 yuan each. Another believer, Yang Zhijun, is expected to be discharged on July 19th and forced to pay a fine of 150,000 yuan. The remaining Christians, including Wang Honglan's husband
Ji Heying, were found guilty but had been released earlier, after completing their sentences.
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