Asia/Pacific

By BosNewsLife Asia Service JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BosNewsLife)-- A major Christian rights group has urged Indonesia’s Constitutional Court to repeal blasphemy laws that it claims have been "widely misused to persecute religious minorities" in the Islamic country.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos VIENTIANE, LAOS (BosNewsLife)-- An influential house church leader is jailed in Laos for more than half a year and he may be killed as authorities fear the spread of Christianity in the region where he has been working, an advocacy group said Friday, April 16.

By Santosh Digal, BosNewsLife Asia Correspondent NEW DELHI, INDIA (BosNewsLife)-- Four Christians, including three evangelists and a police officer, have been jailed in India's central state of Chhattisgarh for "converting" Hindus to Christianity, after they were injured in an attack by Hindu militants, Christian officials confirmed Saturday April 17.

By Jawad Mazhar, BosNewsLife Special Correspondent reporting from Pakistan TOBA TEK SINGH, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- Police have arrested a local manager of Pakistan's Khushali Bank Limited (KBL) in Punjab province for allegedly using force to recover a bank loan from a Christian entrepreneur, who later died of a heart attack, leaving behind a wife and three children, government officials said Wednesday, April 14.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service BHUBANESWAR, INDIA (BosNewsLife)-- An Indian nun who was raped during India's worst anti-Christian violence in recent memory will testify about her ordeal in another court after complaining about intimidation, BosNewsLife established Thursday, April 8.

By BosNewsLife Special Correspondent Xavier P. William reporting from Pakistan RAWALPINDI, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- The leader of a major Christian mission group has urged the government of Pakistan and Punjab province to condemn an attack by armed suspected Muslim militants on a church compound.

Jawad Mazhar, BosNewsLife Special Correspondent reporting from Pakistan LAHORE, PUNJAB (BosNewsLife)-- A Pakistani court has fined police for "illegally" detaining and "torturing" a Christian young man in a case that rights activists hope will encourage "persecuted" Christian families to continue seeking justice and prosecute abusers.

By Xavier P. William, BosNewsLife Special Correspondent reporting from Rawalpindi, Pakistan RAWALPINDI, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- Pakistani security forces freed hostages held in a church compound by over a dozen armed men and women on Friday, April 2, and detained several suspects, police officials and Christians told BosNewsLife.

By Jawad Mazhar, BosNewsLife Special Correspondent reporting from Pakistan SHEIKHUPURA, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- A young Christian maid was raped and burned to death by the son of her Muslim employer in the industrial city of Sheikhupura, the second murder of a domestic servant in Pakistan's Punjab province in less than two months, investigators confirmed Thursday April 1.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service HANOI, VIETNAM (BosNewsLife)-- A Vietnamese Christian lawyer and dissident has pledged to continue her fight for more democracy in the Comnunist-run Asian nation, after leaving prison where she spent three years for challenging the authorities and advocating a multi-party government, BosNewsLife learned Tuesday, March 30.