Persecution Watch Weblog

Pastor Chuck & Arlyn
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A heart wrenching account by the Sister who was raped in Orissa. Please continue to pray for her, perpetrators of the crime and for Orissa.

The rape victim of Orissa Anti-Christian Violence came out in public statement in a press conference held in New Delhi on Friday after Supreme Court of India denying the CBI enquiry demanded in a writ petition.

Sr. Meena Lalita Barwa, in deep grip over the crime committed against her by Hindu militants says, “Orissa police failed to protect me from rapist and attackers. I lost my trust in them. Justice will be only possible if my case is taken by CBI.Very police forces who watched while the crime was committed against me, and who also failed their duty to register my complaint initially and twisted later on and took over 40 days to take action until public outcry pour out. I do not trust in them to give me fair justice and punish the culprits,” says Sr. Meena.

Civil societies and Christian communities of India were disappointed at Supreme Court’s judgement for refusing CBI enquiry over the rape case on October 22, 2008, Court’s refusal to transfer the case from Orissa Police to CBI came for the reason that the accused persons of the rape crime are already arrested by Orissa Police.

Sr. Meena was working at Divyajyoti Pastoral Centre at K. Nuagaon, Kandhamal District, Orissa before anti-Christian violence broken out in Kandhamal district of Orissa after the killing of Lakshmananada Sarawati on August 23, 2008 by Maoists.

“On 24th August around 4.30 pm, hearing the shouting large crowd, at the gate of Sivyajyoti pastoral centre, I ran out through the back door and escaped to the forest along with others. We saw our house going up in flame. Around 8.30 PM, we came out of the forest and went to the house of the Hindu gentleman who gave us shelter,” Meena’s statement said.

“On 25th August, around 1.30 PM, the mob entered the room where I was staying in that house; one of them slapped on my face, caught my hair and pulled me out of the house. Two of them were holding my neck to cut off my head with axe. Others told them to take me out to the road; I saw Fr. Chellan also being taken out and being beaten. The mob consisting of 40-50 men were armed with lathis, axes, spades, crowbars, iron rods, sticks etc. They took both of us to the main road. Then they led us to the burnt down Janavikas building saying that they were going to throw us into the smoldering fire,” Meena said.

“When we reached the Janavikas building, threw me to the verandah on the way to the dining room which was full of ashes and broken glass pieces. One of them tore my blouse and others my undergarments. Father Chellan protested and they beat him and pulled him out from there. They pulled out my saree and one of them slepped on my right hand and another on my left hand and then a third person raped me on the verandah mention above. When it was over, I managed to get up and put my petticoat and saree. Then another young man caught me and took me to a room near the staircase. He opened his pants and was attempting to rape me when they reached there,” Meena said.

“I hide myself under the staircase. The crowd was shouting “Where is that sister, come let us rape her, at least 100 people should rape.” They found me under stair case and took me out to the road. There I saw Fr. Chellan was kneeling down and the crowd was beating him. They were searching for a rope to tie both of us together to burn in fire. Someone suggested to make a us parade naked. They made us to walk on the road till Nuagaon market, which was half a kilometer from there. They made to fold our hands and walk. I was with petticoat and saree as they had already torn away my blouse and undergarments. They tried to strip even there and I resisted and they went on beating me with hands on my cheeks and head, and with sticks on my back several times,” she said. “When we reached market place, about a dozen of OSAP police men were there. I went to them asking to protect me and I sat in between two policemen. They did not move. One from the crowd again pulled out from there there and they wanted to take us in their temple mandap. The crowd led me and Fr. Chellan to the Nuagaon block building, saying that they will hand us over to B.D.O. From there along with the block officer, the mob took us to police outpost Nuagaon, other policemen remained far,” she added.

“The mob said that they will comeback after and one of them who attacked me remained back in the police outpost. Policemen then came to police outpost. They were talking very friendly with the man who had attacked me and stayed back. In police outpost we remained until the inspector incharge of Balliguda with his police team came and took us to Balliguda. They were afraid to us straight to the police station and they kept us sometimes in jeep in garage, from there they brought us to the station. The inspector incharge and other two government officers took privately and asked whatever happened to me. I narrated everything in detail to the police, how I was attacked, raped, taken away from policement paraded half naked and how the plicemen did not help me when I asked for help while weeping bitterly. I saw the inspector writing down. The inspector asked me “Are you interesting in filing FIR? Do you know what will be the consequence?” At about 10 PM, I was taken for medical check up accompanied by a lady police officer to Balliguda hospital” They were afraid to keep us in police station, saying the mob may attack police station. So the police took us to I. B. (Inspection Bungalow) where CRPF men were camping,”.

“On 26th around 9 AM we were taken to Balliguda police station. When I was writing the FIR, the I/C asked me to hurry up and not to write in detail. When I started writing about the police, I/C told me this is not the way to write FIR. “Make it short.” So I rewrote it for the third time in one and half page. I filed the FIR, but I was not given a copy of it”

“At around 4 PM the Inspector In charge of Balliguda police station along with some government officers put us in the OSRTC bus to Bhubaneswar along with other stranded passengers. Police were there till Rangamati, where all passengers had their supper. After that I did not see the police. We got down near Nayagarh and traveled in a private vehicle and reached Bhubaneswar around 2 AM on 27th August,”

“State police failed to stop the crimes, failed to protect me from the attackers, they were friendly with attackers, they tried their best that I did not register a FIR, not make complaints against police, police did not take down my statement as I narrated in detail and they abandon me half of the way. I was raped and now I don’t want to be victimized by the Orissa Police. I want CBO enquiry. God bless India, God bless you al ,” Sr. Meena Lalita Barwa said.

(Thanks Media News Line)

Pastor Chuck & Arlyn

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India (MNN) –There seems to be no end in sight to the heavy persecution against Christians in India. Recent attacks have taken place in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Maharashtra — clear indication that the violence is spreading further than just Orissa.

Two weeks ago, Gospel for Asia missionary Raju was assaulted in Uttar Pradesh on his way home from a visit with fellow Christians. Extremists severely beat Raju, kicking him repeatedly until he lost consciousness. Raju was unconscious for five hours afterward and unable to speak for longer. He is now recovering from a broken hand and many facial injuries.

Of course, the reason for Raju’s victimization was not that he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Raju’s church has been blessed by the Lord and has grown to over 150 members. Many Hindu extremists are not happy with Raju’s dedication to his ministry, and they clearly found a way to show it.

Other GFA missionaries have also served as prey for extremists. In Delhi, Vikram, who leads a church of 80 other believers, was recently warned by death threats to put an end to his worship services. College Bible students in Maharashtra have been arrested and threatened for handing out tracts as well, accused of forcing Christianity on passers-by.

Although this violence had been seemingly confined to the state of Orissa in past weeks, now it is making headway throughout the rest of the country.

Please continue to pray for the strength of God’s people, not just in Orissa, but throughout all of India. Pray that these extremists would see Christ in these strong believers and surrender to Jesus. Pray that the Lord would assure Christians in India of the reality of 1 John 4:4, “The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Pastor Chuck & Arlyn

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India (MNN) –The violence against Christians in India’s Orissa State started in August. Unfortunately, not much has changed, according to Ramesh Landge who works with Partners International, a global ministry that creates growing Christian communities in partnership with God’s people in the least-Christian regions of the world.

Landge says “This has been a religious genocide according to the U-N definition of genocide, where persistently and systematically it is planned and not stopped. It falls in that category of genocide, and we do agree with that.”

Landge has been going into Orissa to help the many Christians who have been displaced by the attack from Hindu extremists. He says the situation isn’t getting much better. “There has been a lot of intimidation. There has been a lot of persecution. People have not been able to go back [to their homes]. If they do go back, the Hindu fundamentalists parties want them to reconvert.”

But, he says, Christians are standing strong. “The fact is, they’ve been living in refugee camps. They’ve been suffering. They have NOT renounced their faith. They continue to stand strong.”

He tells us why this is so unprecedented. “This is the very first time in Indian history that such a long onslaught against Christians has taken place, and in a sustained way. In a way, the government was part of it. They never tried to stop it. They were just silent spectators.”

That’s forced many Christians into unsafe refugee camps, or into the jungle areas.

Landge says Partner International wants to help. “We would like to get in and provide some of the needed relief to the people. We would like to mitigate some of the suffering, especially as winter is approaching and people are in the open, and you can just imagine living in the jungle where it gets really, really cold.”

While the government isn’t doing much to help Indian Christians, Landge offers so suggestions on how you can help. “They can pray for the people who are being persecuted. They could be the advocates in different countries, and the third thing you can contribute materially in order to mitigate some of the suffering.”

Despite all the persecution, Christians continue to share their faith and Landge says many are giving their hearts to Christ.

India (MNN) — Despite the deployment of law enforcement troops, India’s violence continues to inflict daily damage on Christians.

At least ten other states have been witnessing anti-Christian attacks since the killing of Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and four others at his ashram in Kandhamal district August 23.

The increasingly tense situation is in contrast with the assurances from the provincial governments, which claim to be able to maintain security.

Peter Dance with Operation Mobilization says the international community is becoming more aware of the import of the situation. “They are calling it genocide. It’s not just watchdogs, it’s the United Nations, or at least the European Parliament. Even some from our U.S. government have written to the Indian government and said, ‘This is unacceptable.’ The president of France has also said, ‘This is unacceptable.’ The reason they’re saying it’s genocide is because it’s targeted at one particular segment of society: the Christians and the Dalits.”

Dr. Joseph D’souza, president of the All India Christian Council, said, “The events of the last month, not only the anti-Christian attacks but the negligence of government, would be sad if it happened in a dictatorship or a totalitarian regime. The fact that it’s happening in the world’s largest democracy makes it infinitely sadder.”

The state government has been largely ineffective in quelling the violence, and the federal government has not exercised their options of taking over in order to restore peace.

25 pastors and their families have been moved to an OM base for safety and protection. Within Orissa, notes AICC, attacks are spreading again with incidents reported in Gajapati and Boudh districts in the last few days.

According to the AICC, leaders have reliable reports of 315 villages damaged, 4,640 Christian houses burnt, 53,000 Christians homeless, 57 people killed including at least 2 pastors, 10 priests/pastors/nuns seriously injured, 18,000 Christians injured, 2 nuns gang-raped, 149 churches destroyed, 13 Christian schools and colleges damaged.

The OM team is acting as the hands and feet of Christ, but “we’re so restricted in what we can do going into the area. Basically, our focus right now is those that are able to come out, are coming to the church. We’re doing what we can, financially, to take care of medical needs, also food and clothing and housing.”

Please pray for these traumatized brothers and sisters in Christ. If you can help, click here.

Sri Lanka (MNN) —- The shadow of Sri Lanka’s violence is growing. As the civil unrest spreads, Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs says in the last two months, there’s been a trend signaling an escalation against believers, too. “There’s a lot of pressure against believers in Sri Lanka not to be bold in their witness, to stay out of sight, and not challenge the authorities there. Buddhist monks are involved in the attacks. They’re leading the mob; they feel like their power is waning.”

While the Constitution guards freedom of religion, many take Christian activity as a violation against Buddhism. Anti-conversion legislation and other amendments may hinder religious freedoms, but they are on hold for now because of the larger crisis involving the Tamil Tiger rebels.

Arson is often used to shut ministries down. The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka reported more than 60 people set fire to a church building used for Sunday school in Puttlam District.

Meanwhile, another church in Puttlam District was completely destroyed in mid-August. A group of people who visited the pastor’s house earlier that evening and threatened him are suspected of having carried out the arson attack.

A time is coming soon, Nettleton notes, where “Christians have to decide, ‘Am I going to follow the Scriptural mandate to talk about my faith, to invite others to be in fellowship with Christ, or am I going to be intimidated and be silent?’”

VOM is helping the church rebuild, especially in areas like Puttlam District that have been destroyed or their members have dispersed to different areas by violent persecution. VOM also provides assistance to pastors who have lost possessions during persecution.

But there’s more needed. Nettleton urges, “We can pray for stability in the country. We can pray that government authorities and police will enforce the laws as they exist and will provide some protection for churches and for Christians.”

Ask God to protect and provide for these churches and provide resources to rebuild. Pray that their testimonies will draw their persecutors into fellowship with Christ. Click here if you can help.

India (MNN) —- Intense persecution against Christians broke out in Orissa state in late August, destroying 4,500 homes and 150 Christian institutions.
It then spread to other states, with new attacks breaking out in Karnataka in mid-September. Dozens of women were sexually abused, and tens of thousands of Christians are in relief camps. Many more are still hiding in forests. At least 60 believers have been martyred.

“I believe the persecution in Orissa is not the end but the beginning of concerted attacks on the Church among the oppressed in India,” stated the leader of Operation Mobilization in India. “We covet your prayers at this time.”

Christians have been attacked in all regions of India. Mobs of Hindu extremists incited crowds to attack believers in Bangalore; and in Karnataka, churches and prayer centers were vandalized in a series of planned attacks. In Jharkhand, villagers attacked Christians after a worship service. The crowd beat the pastor and believers, then dragged them to a forest temple where their lives were threatened if they did not renounce their faith in Jesus Christ.

The ministry of OM is preparing to assist those who lost homes and is providing counsel for those who lost loved ones. Twenty-five pastors and their families have been moved to an OM base for safety and protection. OM India is doing everything possible, nationally and internationally, to bring justice and relief to the people through government channels.

New Christians from Dalit backgrounds were targeted in all of the attacks. The lowest caste in Indian society, Dalits are generally poor and oppressed. An OM school for Dalit children was burned by attackers, and everything was lost; thankfully none of the workers perished.

OM’s immediate need to help victims of these violent attacks is $250,000. Click here if you can help.

International (MNN) —- The United Nations Anti-Blasphemy resolution is drawing the ire of mission groups.

Carl Moeller with Open Doors explains that in application, “This anti-blasphemy resolution is mostly seen to be putting a ‘chilling effect’ on Christian work and outreach around the world, and that is a very troubling development for us.”

Free speech advocates say the non-binding resolution is being used to intimidate believers and spread Sharia law. Adopted in 2007, Resolution 62/145 reads in part: It “notes with deep concern the intensification of the campaign of defamation of religions and the ethnic and religious profiling of Muslim minorities in the aftermath of 11 September 2001.”

Despite the good intentions, Moeller says, “The reality is that wherever Christianity and Islam come into relationship with each other in the culture, the net effect has been for Christian evangelism to be silenced or to be intimidated through this act.”

Though it has little teeth in law, the act has been reviewed and passed more than once. That gives it some kind of authority and often emboldens militant Islamists to use it as a club against Christians.

In effect, it is a shield for the fundamentalists who retaliate against perceived offenses. Moeller says the resolution passes under the guise of protecting religion, but it actually endangers religious minorities in Islamic countries.

That’s why he’s urging prayer. “The slope is so slippery because everything that purports to criticize Islam is considered ‘blasphemy.’ Anything that promotes another religious viewpoint, like Christianity, is considered ‘blasphemy.’ It really becomes the ultimate weapon against free religious speech around the world.”

Open Doors is raising awareness, Moeller adds, because “people need to get involved with organizations that are standing up to draw attention to the anti-blasphemy laws…to make true religious freedom a hallmark of international religious liberty and not a sham of anti-blasphemy laws that the UN is passing.”

Laos (MNN) — Christianity is labeled a “foreign religion” in Laos, so becoming a believer is considered near treason.

Christians in Communist-ruled Laos report escalating persecution. According to the World Evangelical Alliance, believers are dealing with more outright harassment and intimidation tactics.

The trend began in 2004 when reports began to surface about the treatment believers received at the hands of the government.

Some have been held at gunpoint and forced to renounce their faith in Christ. The government has also put extensive restrictions on all religious groups. While the government has worked to improve their human rights record, the church is not yet free from persecution.

Two believers and a pastor have been handcuffed and in stocks since August for refusing to renounce their faith. 32-year-old Pastor Sompong Supatto and 18-year-olds, Boot and Khamvan Chanthaleuxay were taken from a house church because they were practicing their faith.

They were officially arrested August 3 for refusing to sign papers renouncing their faith. They had been threatened several times previously but had continued to worship.

According to Compass Direct reports, Pastor Supatto faces life behind bars for leading the Boukham church. The teenagers will only be released when they renounce their faith. Please pray their faith would be strong and that God would intervene.

Pray for Christians who continue to face pressure and imprisonment for their faith. Pray, too, for the government of Laos, that those in power will continue to improve policies and activities, recognizing need for freedom for all their citizens.

Azerbaijan (MNN/SGA) – Authorities in Azerbaijan have opened a new investigation into the June arrest of pastor Hamid Shabanov (shu-BAH-nov).

He was charged with having an illegal weapon following a police raid on his house in the village of Aliabad. Church leaders insist that the charges are false and were trumped up because of opposition to evangelical churches in the town and region.

Joel Griffith with Slavic Gospel Association says the court extended his detention until October 22. However, “Pastor Shabanov’s attorneys have been able to meet with local police officials there and get some promises for more humane conditions while Hamid is in jail. [They're also hoping] for a more objective investigation into the case. They’re just hopeful that this investigation would maybe yield a better result and that Hamid would eventually be freed.”

Shabanov was reassigned to the neighboring region of Balakansky, where there are hopes for a more objective investigation of the case. All the witnesses are being questioned again, both prosecution and defense witnesses.

Rev. Ilya Zenchenko, president of Azerbaijan Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, is rallying the troops. Griffith says, “It seems like there is a relative silence coming from the international community, so he’s asking to not only raise this issue in prayer, but also to just express that the Azerbaijan government needs to allow religious freedom and release this pastor from jail.”

Although their work is not extensive there, SGA serves the church through pastoral training, church planter sponsorship and Christian literature. SGA also represents the Russian UECB and is a sponsor of the Eurasian Federation of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. Click here if you can help.

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India (MNN) – India’s federal government is acting in Orissa after fresh clashes between Hindus and Christians over the weekend. These appear to have been triggered by religious conversions.

Ron Green is with Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Mission India. He says, “The attacks continue, but the initial sweep of violence through Kandhamal province seems to have toned down. The state government and state police were actually part of the problem and helped organize some of the attacks, but the federal government of India has sent in federal police to try to just stop movement.”

More than 700 federal police were sent Friday to Orissa to join the 3,000 federal police who have already been deployed in the region to restore order.

Mission India staff report that at least 2,400 homes were destroyed, as many as 35 people are dead, and at least 40 churches have been burned or vandalized in Kandhamal.

Since the violence began, believers were forced to retreat from the areas that have been their homes for centuries. “Christians want to go back. They want to rebuild their churches. They want to rebuild their homes. They are frightened, but not panicked. They’re still counting the cost there.”

Among some of the stories coming back to the ministry are accounts where church planter students have been threatened and attacked. Believers are being forced by extremists to renounce Jesus in “re-conversion” ceremonies, and a literacy teacher’s life was threatened if he continued to teach in his village.

Violence against Christians is not new in Orissa, where just 2.4% out of 36.8 million people are followers of Jesus. Orissa is one of six states in India that have passed “Freedom of Religion” Acts that require people to get government permission before they can become Christians or be baptized.

The good news is that weeks of nonstop violence failed to stifle the Gospel. “I would say maybe 20-percent of the work that we have in Orissa has been disrupted, and the rest continues. There’s a high level of responsiveness in Orissa.”

Keep praying for an end to this wave of brutal violence. Pray that believers under attack will set Christ apart as Lord and not give in to fear. Pray that those who persecute Christians will come to repentance and faith in Christ.