Bulgarian lawmakers concede some restrictions in a new Religion Denominations Act after international pressure and intensive protests. A new constraint however threatens the legal existence of many denominations.

Since 2016, local authorities have cut off the access to water of seventeen evangelical families because they had refused to contribute to the local Catholic festivities.

“We highly appreciate all the letters you sent to our government officials. We pray that they will consider them carefully”, says the President of the Bulgarian Evangelical Alliance, Rumen Bordjiev.

The Spanish Evangelical Alliance denounces “the erroneous imposition of political authority in the religious life” of Bulgarians, in a letter to Members of the European Parliament.

The President of the European Parliament invites the family of the Christian woman to Brussels. Antonio Tajani: “Pakistani government must uphold Human Rights commitments”.

The World Evangelical Alliance denounced at the UN Human Rights Council that people in these Asian countries “are experiencing more and more restrictions on freedom of religion or belief”.

The Christian woman on death row had been in jail since 2010, accused of insulting Islam. The Supreme Court will free her because the prosecution “categorically failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt”.

During a plenary session, the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani called for her immediate release.

Valencia, one of the 21 Spanish cities that joined the global #WalkForFreedom initiative. “The gospel is freedom”, said coordinator Sara Pérez.

Abolitionists marched through 400 cities in 51 countries. Pictures from Valencia (Spain), October 20.

On October 20th, single-file lines of people dressed in black will fill the streets of more than 400 cities across the world. Loida Muñoz: “Criminal organisations buy and sell people”.

Soldiers are holding arrested Christian leaders and students in Mong Maw town, a stronghold base of the Wa rebels.

In New York, António Guterres met the Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance, Efraim Tendero.

Cuba was reviewed earlier during this year in the framework of the Universal Periodic Review conducted by the UN's Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Religious identity, nationalism, and violence.

Representatives of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria explained in Brussels their social model for a post-war Syria. The initiative for the cooperation was taken by the Christians, in collaboration with Muslims and other groups.

The Bible shows us examples of legitimate opposition to the abuse of power by those in authority, and it is not simply limited to the subject of preaching the Gospel.

Gavà (in Spain) fights sexual slavery by putting pressure on clients. “Are you enjoying this? She is not”, a campaign against sexual exploitation says.

“We love our country, we pray for our authorities, and we have no intentions against our government”, Iranian Christian Dabrina Bet Tamraz told the UN Human Rights Council.

It would be good to penalize the blatant human rights abuses in Qatar rather than applauding them by letting bonded labourers build the new stadiums for World Cup 2022.

Theresa May says everyone should be guaranteed the right to “practise their faith free of fear”.

“Prioritising the decriminalisation of euthanasia over the provision of resources for palliative care is not a progressive policy, but the verification of a failure of the government and society”, the Spanish Evangelical Alliance says.

Four politicians of the Swiss Parliament joined the event in the centre of Bern.

The new #FoRBDefender movement stands in solidarity with people across the globe facing discrimination, oppression and violence because of their religion or belief (including non-belief).

Christians are called to “open our mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute”, says Wissam al-Saliby, the WEA Advocacy Officer for Human Rights in Geneva.