China
Three leaders of a house church in China’s northern Shanxi Province have been formally charged with forming a criminal ‘clique’ and obtaining ‘illegal income’.
Preachers Li Jie and Han Xiaodong have been detained since August 2022, when their church was raided by more than 100 police officers, and their colleague Wang Qiang was detained in November.
They join a growing number of religious leaders prosecuted on unjust ‘fraud’ charges in recent years, which could carry a sentence of more than 10 years. These charges often target unregistered churches for receiving tithes and offerings. However, some churches have legitimate reasons for not wanting to register with the authorities, while others have been blocked from registering.
Nigeria
Usman Buda, a devout market trader in Nigeria’s Sokoto State, was beaten to death by a mob after he was accused of committing blasphemy during an argument.
Mr Buda’s friends rejected the allegation, with one market seller commenting: ‘I know Usman liked arguments on religious issues, but I didn’t hear him even for once using derogatory remarks against the Prophet [Mohammed]’s companions.’ He added that the false accusation was made by Mr Buda’s business competitor.
His murder came a little over a year after the lynching of Christian student Deborah Emmanuel following an unsubstantiated blasphemy accusation. It provides a fresh reminder of how blasphemy laws contribute towards fostering religious extremism, and blasphemy-related impunity emboldens extremists to launch deadly violence.
Vietnam
Protestant Pastor Nguyen Trung Ton has reportedly been denied medical treatment in Gia Trung Prison in Vietnam. Pastor Ton is currently serving a 12-year sentence on charges relating to his work as an advocate for freedom of religion or belief and social justice.
Authorities have prevented Pastor Ton’s family from sending him medicine or paying for medical care, even as he suffers from the long-term effects of COVID-19 and an eye disease.
Inhumane treatment and a lack of medical care in Vietnam’s prisons are thought to have caused the deaths of several political prisoners in recent years.