On March 5, Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad and Maryam Rustampoor were arrested by Iranian security forces and labeled "anti-government activists." Their apartment was searched and their belongings confiscated. They are at Evin Prison, known for treating women badly.
We encourage you to write a letter of encouragement and let them know you are praying for them and other persecuted believers in Iran. Let your friends know about suffering Christians in Iran and encourage them to pray and write as well.
Your letters make a difference, sometimes resulting in shorter prison sentences. Write today!

www.prisoneralert.com

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Shi Weihan - Help Imprisoned Chinese Christian!

Send an email to Chinese Ambassador Zhou Whenzong, asking him to press for the release of Shi Weihan. On March 19, Shi was rearrested for publishing Bibles and Christian literature. Shi’s bookstore, located near the Olympic village, operated legally and sold only books for which he had obtained government permission. Authorities at the Beijing Municipal Detention center have labeled Shi as a “dangerous religious element,” mistakenly believing that he would cause a stir as Beijing Olympics approach. However, Shi's friends affirm him to be a peaceful and patriotic citizen.

                   Shi Weihan & wife Zhang Jing
Shi is being held without any family visits allowed. His wife has been prohibited to bring him any food or clothing. Open Doors is concerned about Shi’s health, as he has diabetes and the family has been unable to confirm whether or not he has recieved necessary medication.  Shi’s attorney, who has only recently been allowed to see him, said that Shi is in dire need of medical attention. Read More >>

Please send an email to Chinese Ambassador Zhou Whenzong, asking him to press for the release of Shi Weihan and allow him immediate access to medical attention.

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Dear Donna,

I recently wrote to you about Shi Weihan, a Chinese businessman who was re-arrested in March for printing and distributing Bibles and Christian literature. There is still time to send the Chinese Ambassador an email on his behalf.

Unfortunately, Shi is still in prison and no official charges have been brought against him.  The three-month deadline for his hearing expired on June 19 and he still has not been brought to court, making his detention illegal according to China’s laws.

Shi’s family has been denied visitation rights so they cannot bring him clean clothes or ensure that he has his necessary diabetic medication.  Shi’s wife and two young daughters are concerned about his health and are really struggling with his absence.  Read More>>

Please write to Chinese Ambassador Zhou Whenzong, asking him to press for the immediate release of Shi Weihan, and to allow him immediate access to medical aid.
 
Advocating with you,
 

Lindsay Vessey
Advocacy Program Manager

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Location: Eritrea
Arrested: May 2005

Print Fact Sheet

On May 11, 2005 Evangelist Girmay Ambaye, was arrested by security police in Eritrea for witnessing about Christ to people on a city bus. It is the third time Ambaye has been imprisoned for his faith in the last few years.
Please send a letter of encouragement and let Evangelist Ambaye know that you are praying for him and other persecuted believers in Eritrea. Let your friends know about the suffering Christians in Eritrea and encourage them to pray and write to Ambaye.
Your letters make a difference sometimes resulting in shorter prison sentences. Write to Ambaye today and let him know you are praying for him.

 

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Meet Miriam Amador from Colombia

• Widowed by local armed group

In 1996, Miriam's husband Manuel was murdered. An active pastor in Uraba, one of Colombia's most violent regions, Manuel's desire for peace had made him an enemy of the local terrorist groups.

Following Manuel's death, Miriam found it a huge struggle to face life without him. But, despite her grief, she has continued to trust God.

Open Doors has enabled Miriam to set up a sewing business where she and three other Christian widows earn an income. She is also active in her local church.

Meet Pastor Jorge from Colombia

• Accused of sympathizing with enemies of armed groups
• Threatened with kidnapping and death

For years, Pastor Jorge's ministry in a rural region of Colombia has carried many risks. Unwilling to join forces with any of the local armed groups, Jorge has become a target, accused of sympathizing with 'the opposition'.

Now, along with all other evangelical pastors in rural Colombia, Jorge is facing an increasingly sinister threat. The armed groups have launched an even harsher campaign against the Christians, threatening that all pastors and church leaders will be systematically killed.

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Meet persecuted Christians in Latin America

Indigenous Christians find themselves with many enemies – from power-hungry chieftains, to warring factions and corrupt regimes.

By providing Bibles, practical aid and legal support, Open Doors' teams are helping Christians to stand firm despite their many trials.

Meet the Acteal Prisoners from Mexico

• 35 evangelicals falsely charged and wrongly imprisoned
• Most have wives and children to support
• 15 new believers, converted in prison (as of Feb '03), are also innocent of the charges
• Three converts have now been released

Just before Christmas in 1997, 45 people were massacred in the remote village of Acteal, in southern Mexico.

In the investigation that ensued, many innocent local Christians were framed and accused of the murder. The believers made convenient scapegoats - and have been behind bars ever since. Some have been sentenced to 35 years in jail.

Back home, their wives and children struggle to survive. Their poverty and isolation means they can only visit their husbands once a month.

In a letter, the Acteal prisoners write: "We pray day and night, crying to God – not only for ourselves, but also for our families who are completely abandoned. God is our only hope."

Download our Mexican Campaign Pack in PDF format (516k) so you can write to the Acteal prisoners and their families and to the Mexican authorities on their behalf.

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In
a highly unusual press conference in Pyongyang in September, the
National Security Service of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
(DPRK) announced the arrest of “foreign spies” and “native citizens
working for a foreign intelligence service.” The Voice of the Martyrs
(VOM), a ministry serving Christians in restricted nations who are
persecuted for their faith, announced today that those arrested in
North Korea were in fact Christian believers and not spies.

The security service spokesman at the press conference, Li Su Gil, said
that those arrested “carried out the missions by means of diverse
espionage equipment.” He did not name any of those arrested.
VOM has identified the following North Korean Christians who have
disappeared and are believed to have been arrested by government
authorities:
Onseong, North Hamgyong Province:

Chul Huh, male

Chun-Il Jang, male, 39

Young-Su Jin, male, 32

Myung-Chul Kim, male, 36

Nam-Suk Kang, male, 48Young-Yae Lee, female, 37

Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province:

San-Ho Kang, male, 36

Cheongjin, North Hamgyong Province:

Mi-Hae Park, female, 30Suk-Chun Suh, male, 29

These North Korean Christians had started a portrait photography studio
to help support themselves, and had registered their businesses with
appropriate government authorities. According to VOM sources working in
North Korea, they were not involved in espionage activities. It is
believed that equipment taken by the government was in fact photography
equipment used in their portrait work.

“Following Jesus Christ is considered treason in North Korea, where the

government mandates that worship is reserved for deceased dictator Kim
Il Sung and his son, the current dictator, Kim Jong Il,” said Todd
Nettleton, spokesperson for VOM. “The Voice of the Martyrs is proud to
stand with Christ’s followers in North Korea, and deeply concerned for
the well-being of our brothers and sisters there. We call on the North
Korean government to release these Christian believers, who were
involved in legitimate business activities to support themselves and
their families.”

The Voice of the Martyrs has been actively involved in helping North

Korean Christians for decades. Among the projects the ministry has
carried out for North Korea is the launch of thousands of “scripture
balloons,” mylar balloons filled with helium and printed on either side
with scripture passages. VOM has conducted other projects to help North
Korean Christians but cannot discuss details publicly to protect the
safety of VOM workers and contacts inside North Korea.

VOM sources do not know the whereabouts of the arrested believers. It

is possible that they have already been tried and executed.

“We pray that they are alive,” said Nettleton. “But we know it is

possible that they have finished their race on earth and gone on to
their eternal reward in heaven. We encourage Christians everywhere to
pray for our brothers and sisters in North Korea, who must constantly
face the threat of arrest, torture and execution simply for living out
their faith in Jesus Christ.”

Christians are encouraged to write letters protesting the arrest to the DPRK delegation to the United Nations:

Permanent Mission of the Democratic People's

Republic of Korea to the United Nations820 Second Avenue, 13th FloorNew York, NY 10017

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Location: Indonesia
Arrested: April 2007

Print Fact Sheet

In April 2007, Evangelist Daniel and more than 40 Christian leaders in Indonesia were arrested after a video recording of them praying for Muslims and the Quran was leaked to Islamic organizations. Evangelist Daniel was sentenced to five years in prison for praying, “Father we pray for the leaders of the madrassa, so their hearts would be open for gospel." Please send a letter of encouragement and let Evangelist Daniel know you are praying for him and other believers in Indonesia. Let your friends know about suffering Christians and encourage them to pray and write too. Get involved pray and write to Evangelist Daniel today!

 [ send green star]

CWN.com - In North Korea, the treatment of Christians has reached new lows in brutality.

In one particular account taking place in 1997, two people were shot to death for carrying Bibles.

Others are thrown into some of the most brutal prison camps the world has ever seen.

Often, two and three generations of Christians are sent to labor camps -- similar to concentration camps -- so that when the family dies, their faith dies with them.

But communism as a worldwide threat to Christianity has been replaced by a greater menace -- Islam.

The good side of this story is that the church is growing in these countries.

The reason why persecution takes place in Islamic nations is because people are coming to Christ. Since power in these lands is built around the Islamic faith and its mosques, Muslims view those coming to know Jesus as a threat.

There are an estimated 1.5 billion Muslims in the world and they make up the majority population in 52 nations, mostly in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

In hard-line nations like Saudi Arabia, religious police harass and sometimes arrest Christians simply for practicing their faith.

In other Muslim countries, Christians are second-class citizens -- denied access to higher education and good jobs.

And authorities often look the other way when Muslims persecute them.

One such country is Pakistan, where Muslims make up 98 percent of the population.

Ray Thorne of The Voice of the Martyrs, a Christian organization assisting the persecuted church around the world, frequently travels to India and Pakistan to offer help to persecuted Christians and tell their stories.

"We've seen many more martyrdoms," Thorne said. "We've seen a lot more persecution in the village areas, churches being under attack, prayer meetings, things like this."

And like all Christians who suffer for their faith, they plead for the prayers of the worldwide body of Christ.

"The greatest frustration for the persecuted believer is that he listens to the devil's lies saying it's all over, you're the last one, there's no hope, nobody cares, nobody knows.," Brother Andrew said. "So we let them know that we are with them, that we pray for them, that we support them, that they are part of the same body, that we are part of. If one member suffers, the whole body suffers. I feel your pain, and I will share my joy and my surplus with your."

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Location: Uzbekistan
Arrested: January 2007
Days Imprisoned: document.write(Math.round(iDiff));236
Print Fact Sheet

On January 21, 2007, Pastor Dmitry Shestakov was arrested in a raid on his Full Gospel Church in Andijan, Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan’s Religious Affairs Committee claims Shestakov, an evangelical pastor affiliated with the registered Full Gospel Church, is not an authorized leader of any officially-recognized religious organization in Uzbekistan. They describe him as an “imposter” leading an underground group identified as “Charismatic Pentecostals” engaged in proselytizing under Shestakov’s leadership. He is appealing his four-year labor camp sentence. We invite you to write a letter of encouragement to Pastor Shestakov. You can make a difference for this pastor, even as he is in prison. Write him a letter and pray God encourages him. Your letters make a difference, sometimes resulting in shorter prison terms. Send a letter of encouragement to Pastor Shestakov and also write to Uzbekistan’s government requesting he be released.

 [ send green star]

Location: Vietnam
Arrested: August 2004

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Pastor Y Wo Nie was arrested August 18, 2004, for leading a demonstration demanding more religious freedom and the release of property confiscated by the Vietnamese government. He received a nine-year sentence. His family has not been able to visit him.

Write a letter of encouragement. Let Pastor Nie know you are praying for him and the believers in Vietnam. Let your friends know about persecution in Vietnam; encourage them to pray and write. Also, write Vietnamese officials requesting Nie’s release. Your letters make a difference.

Get involved! Pray for and write to Nie today.

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Location: North Korea
Arrested: January 2006
Days Imprisoned: document.write(Math.round(iDiff));616
Print Fact Sheet

Son Jong Nam, an underground Christian in North Korea, has spent more than a year in prison, awaiting public execution. He risked his life returning to North Korea to preach the gospel and VOM contacts believe he is still alive, although contact is limited. Write a letter of encouragement. Let Son know you pray for him and other believers in North Korea. Let your friends know about persecution in North Korea; encourage them to pray and write. Also, write to North Korea officials requesting Son’s release. Pray for and write to Son today.
 

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Location: China
Arrested: January 2007
Days Imprisoned: document.write(Math.round(iDiff));231
Country Info  [ send green star]