More than 45 world leaders gathered in Jerusalem to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. They publicly committed to never forget the lessons of the Holocaust.

Religious freedom in Western Africa was addressed in Davos through an event organised by the World and the Swiss Evangelical Alliances.

Rev. Lawan Andimi had stated in a video that he trusted in God should he lose his life to Islamic terrorists.

The 2006 law requires non-Muslim worship buildings to be licensed, but all applications to do so have remained unattended. “We all know that these laws are only there to muzzle Christians and other religious minorities”.

Digital persecution is on the rise, the WWL 2020 shows. Asia Bibi’s release was one of the the good news.

The attackers arrived at the primary boarding school in Kamuthe, Garissa County, as the teachers were sleeping. “One of the attackers said, ‘We cannot allow infidels to teach our children,’ and there and then fired at three teachers”.

The spread of violent Islamic militancy across Sub-Saharan Africa and South-east Asia, and the rise of Christians targeted by organized crime in Latin America, are some of the trends of the 2020 Open Doors WWL.

Growing pressure on Christians in China, Algeria, Burkina Faso, according to the 2020 Open Doors World Watch List. Christians face severe persecution in 73 countries.

The leader of the German Evangelical Alliance says the lack of humanity in returning Christian converts to Islamist countries harms Germany’s own value system.  

A leader of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria pleaded for help on a video released on Sunday. “I have never been discouraged, because all conditions that one finds himself are in the hands of God”.

Muslim government officials attended the Christmas service of Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church, a congregation the previous government harassed for years.

Pastor Wang Yi is accused of “subversion and illegal trade”. He will be deprived of his political rights and his personal assets will be seized. Another elder of his church has been sentenced to 4 years.

Requests for government intervention were ignored, and nearby churches are providing the displaced believers with emergency supplies and lodging.

Ethnic Wa rebels closed the churches in September 2018, destroyed at least 10 church buildings and detained more than 200 Christians who were later released.

The UK Prime Minister recalls Christians who celebrate Christmas “in secret”. Queen Elisabeth says: “Through His teaching, Jesus Christ shows the world how small steps can overcome divisions”.

Around 1,000 people joined silent protests on the same evening. “The fate of those persecuted for their faith should not leave us cold”.

Persecution rising toward levels under Chairman Mao. “The days are coming when whole Christian families will find themselves unable to access not merely transport, but schools, hospitals, bank loans and jobs”, a source says.

Civil society reports estimate that in 2017 alone at least 50 individuals were imprisoned on charges of blasphemy, with at least 17 facing possible death sentences.

False blasphemy charges can be devastating for the entire family: ‘My life is ruined without him,’ says Zafar’s wife Nawab Bibi.

Gunmen opened fire during the worship service. This is the fourth attack against Christian communities in the last eight months.

Police detained students and church leaders during a meeting  of the Ethiopian Fellowship of Evangelical students in Debark and pressured them to sign an agreement to never meet again in the city.

Open Doors UK displayed 16,000 squares of fabric at Westminster Abbey, “to amplify the voices of persecuted Christian women and to have a lasting impact on UK government policy”.

Police registered a report against the Hindu extremists but have taken no action. Another report was registered against the pastor and seven family members.

The NCCP has spoken out against the heavy government policies against drug trafficking. 5,300 have been killed in the past three years.The Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches supported the NCCP.

As part of a larger prison sentence delivered in 2013, Ebrahim Firoozi, 33, was sentenced to two years in exile in Sarbaz, a frontier town on the Iranian-Pakistani border known for its isolation and prevalence of Islamic militant groups.