October persecution watch

China frees Protestant pastor

China released a leader of the nation’s underground Protestant church on September 10, after being detained for three years for illegal possession of thousands of Bibles, reports AFP. Bibles are not illegal in China, but only one printing press in China is licensed by the government to print them for distribution and sale in state-approved churches.

South Korean hostages leave hospital

South Korean Christian volunteers held hostage in Afghanistan for nearly six weeks left hospital mid-September, with their doctor saying they were physically fit but may still need counselling. Taliban insurgents seized 23 South Koreans, killing two during early negotiations, but eventually released the rest after Seoul promised to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and bar any more missionaries from working there, reports Reuters.

Pakistani Christian girls kidnapped, converted and forcibly married

Two Christian girls who were kidnapped from their families in Faisalabad, Pakistan, were forcibly converted to Islam and later married off to strangers, reports Christian Post. After kidnapping the girls, the Muslim men reportedly delivered distorted marriage certificates to their families. According to US-based International Christian Concern, Christian girls are frequently kidnapped, raped, molested, converted, and in some cases killed by Muslims.

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