World Watch Monitor

• America Ups the Ante over Pastor Brunson’s Detention
  The American Charge d’Affaires in Ankara has said that Turkey’s continued detention of pastor Andrew Brunson on spying and terrorism-related charges is impeding US-Turkish relations.
  Tuesday, July 3, 2018
• China’s ‘Underground’ Churches Told to ‘Seek Guidance’ from State-Approved Bodies
  A newly implemented directive from the Chinese government forces Protestant ‘house churches’ and Catholic ‘underground’ communities to seek ‘guidance’ from recognised religious organisations.
  Friday, June 22, 2018
• UN Chief ‘Personally Concerned’ about Return of Christians to Iraq and Syria
  The UN’s Secretary General has stressed the importance of Christians returning to the areas from which they fled in Iraq and Syria.
  Friday, June 22, 2018
• A ‘Dire Time for Human Rights in Russia’ as World Cup Begins
  The 2018 FIFA World Cup started today with a match between Saudi Arabia and the host nation Russia at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow.
  Thursday, June 14, 2018
• Algerian Pastor ‘Amazed’ as Three Churches Reopened
  Three churches recently closed down by authorities in Algeria’s northern province of Oran were permitted to re-open on Sunday, 10 June.
  Wednesday, June 13, 2018
• Coptic Christians Harassed for Drinking Water during Ramadan Fasting Hours
  In one of three incidents reported to World Watch Monitor, an Egyptian photographer was detained by police for carrying a bottle of water during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims are...
  Wednesday, June 13, 2018
• North Koreans ‘Betrayed’ by Human Rights Omission in Trump-Kim Agreement
  North Koreans were “betrayed” by the failure of US President Donald Trump to include human rights provisions in his agreement with the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, following their historic...
  Tuesday, June 12, 2018
• ‘Christianity in Syria is under Threat from Forces the West is Supporting’
  Two thousand years of Christianity in Syria could be wiped out by the very forces Western governments are supporting, an Anglican vicar has claimed.
  Monday, June 11, 2018
• Burkina Faso: Kidnappers Release Pastor and His family after Four Days
  The Christian pastor who was abducted on Sunday with his family in Burkina Faso’s north-eastern province of Soum has been released.
  Friday, June 8, 2018
• Four Iranian Christians Set to Begin Ten-year Prison Sentences
  The four Iranian Christians who saw their ten-year prison sentences upheld by an appeal court earlier this month are expecting to have to report to prison any day now.
  Wednesday, June 6, 2018
• One Coptic Mother’s Agony at Trauma of Son Who Saw Islamists Kill His Father
  One year ago Hanaa, a 42-year-old Egyptian mother of four, took a phonecall that changed her and her family’s life forever: her son called to say he and his brother had just seen their father shot...
  Friday, May 25, 2018
• Indonesia: Death Toll ‘Unimaginable’ if Bomb Had Exploded Inside Church
  The leader of one of the Indonesian church most badly damaged by the suicide bombing attacks last Sunday, 13 May, has said he “can’t imagine” how much greater the damage could have been had the...
  Friday, May 18, 2018
• Can Young People Help Safeguard the Future of the Church in Syria?
  As the war in Syria enters its eighth year, clergy who have watched their congregations dwindle fear that those who have left the country may not return.
  Thursday, May 17, 2018
• Egypt: Families of Beheaded Copts Finally Reunited with Remains of Loved Ones
  After a three-year wait and a number of broken promises, the Egyptian Coptic families of 20 men beheaded by IS in Libya in 2015 have finally received their loved ones’ remains.
  Wednesday, May 16, 2018
• Myanmar: 7,000 Kachin Displaced as Violence Escalates
  Displaced Kachin residents cross the Malikha river on 26 April to escape the fighting between the Kachin Independence Army and Myanmar government troops.
  Tuesday, May 15, 2018
• Indonesia Bombings ‘Did Not Come as a Surprise’
  As details emerge of the shocking tactics used in the two bomb attacks in Indonesia over the last 48 hours, a regional analyst has said he was not surprised by the apparent Islamist motive.
  Monday, May 14, 2018
• Report: UN Weakness on Religious Freedom Undercuts its Authority on Human Rights
  The UN cannot strengthen, promote and protect human rights if it does not prioritise religious freedom, a report published by the Washington-based human rights alliance, ADF International has...
  Thursday, May 10, 2018
• A Christian Escapee from North Korea Has His Doubts about Kim’s Peace Overtures
  What North Korea’s leader seeks from the international community is appeasement and not peace, let alone the freedom of his own people, a North Korean escapee says.
  Thursday, May 10, 2018