Asia/Pacific

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife LAHORE PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- An appeals court in Pakistan upheld a death sentence against a devoted Christian mother for "blasphemy" against Islam, sparking calls for prayers amid concerns a Supreme Court case may take years, BosNewsLife learned Thursday, October 16.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service PORT MORESBY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA (BosNewsLife)-- A tribe in Papua New Guinea will for the first time receive the Bible's New Testament in its own language after more than three decades of translation work amid persecution and disappointments, missionaries told BosNewsLife Sunday, October 12.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service VIENTIANE, LAOS (BosNewsLife)-- Authorities in southern Laos released six Christians who were detained after attending a house church service, but the pastor remained behind bars Tuesday, October 7, and faces torture, an advocacy official said.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife VIENTIANE, LAOS (BosNewsLife)-- A pastor and six other Christians remained detained in southern Laos early Monday, September 29, after security forces raided their house church as part of a wider crackdown on Christianity in the area, supporters told BosNewsLife.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- A Pakistani policeman shot to death a jailed Christian pastor accused of blasphemy against Islam, while injuring a British man, activists and officials confirmed.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service THIMPHU, BHUTAN (BosNewsLife)-- Minority Christians in Bhutan were in a state of shock Tuesday, September 16, after a court sentenced two pastors to long prison terms for receiving funds for their activities, though one church leader was "temporarily" freed, friends said.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service KATHMANDU, NEPAL (BosNewsLife)-- A Christian pastor was free Wednesday, September 10, after spending nearly two years behind bars in Nepal "for eating beef" amid growing pressure on Christians in the predominantly Hindu nation, rights activists confirmed.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service ISLAMABAD/COLOMBO (BosNewsLife)-- Sri Lanka has begun sending Pakistani asylum seekers, including Christians, back to their home country where they may face the death penalty for blasphemy against Islam, rights investigators and United Nations officials say.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service SEOUL, KOREA (BosNewsLife)-- A five-day visit by Pope Francis to South Korea has highlighted the plight of persecuted Christians in the region, including two detained Americans and a South Korean, who have been held in neighboring North Korea for their Christian activities, activists said.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service BEIJING, CHINA (BosNewsLife)-- Chinese security forces violently removed two more church crosses in China's eastern coastal province of Zhejiang, injuring five senior church members, as part of a wider crackdown in the region, rights activists say.