The few religious references of the four main parties standing for election on 23 July show distinct differences in their approach to religion.

Evicted from its church building in February 2021, banned from meeting for worship in the church car park, Minsk's New Life Pentecostal Church has now seen its building bulldozed.

Wissam al-Saliby of the World Evangelical Alliance met Victor Madrigal-Borloz and calls for dialogue after a controversial report on religious freedom and LGBT rights.

A Bible-believing Christian, David Mackereth was dismissed by the government. He hopes his legal battle will “encourage medics to speak out more on these issues”.

The EU law passed in Brussels could “transform the lives of millions of exploited workers”, says the European Freedom Network.

Speakers agreed that instead of regulating the practice of surrogacy in the European Union, efforts should be made to highlight that surrogacy means, in essence, the commodification of children.

The European Freedom Network (EFN) asks parliamentarians in Brussels to pass legislation that forces companies to identify and address human exploitation.

The government prevents Belarusians from complaining about the violations of their rights to the UN Human Rights Committee.

The Spanish Constitutional Court recognises the “woman's right to self-determination” regarding abortion. Evangelicals “regret and denounce the lack of protection of human life”.

For a week, Christian politicians and social actors from 37 countries met in Geneva. A final document delivered to the UN says “discrimination and persecution on the basis of faith” is “absent” from the Development Goals.

The response to the earthquakes and the restriction of human rights such as religious freedom may play against the powerful president.

In Finland, the Christian Democrats are key to the negotiations for a new government. Päivi Räsänen (“thankful and happy” about her re-election) tells Evangelical Focus about the current socio-political moment.

In the Central European country, bans on worship lasted longer than elsewhere. Jan Figel’ brings a challenge to the European Court of Human Rights.

Well-known actress Ana Obregón resorts to surrogacy at 68 and sparks an intense political and media debate.

Xi Jinping is introducing “more intrusive Party control of the two main components of the country’s nervous system: money and the Internet”, says expert Massimo Introvigne.

“We are not against sanctions but for human rights”, says the World Evangelical Alliance representative at the UN Human Rights Council.

Three Christian voices comment on the UN Climate Conference in the United Arab Emirates at the end of 2023. “It is vital that we end the fossil fuel industry’s influence over climate policy”.

A survey by Forum 18 shows that “violations of the human rights have increased since fraudulent presidential elections and the regime's support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine”.

A large majority refuses the initiative of the AfD party saying it would criminalise Muslims and is based on “wrong” data.

The Independent Expert on Sexual orientation and gender identities speaks of “religious narratives” which “repress sexual and gender diversity and promote heteronormative norms”. Religious freedom groups warn against using SOGI policies to shape faith doctrines.

“The right to kill cannot become a supra-legislative rule, a constitutional right”, said organisers of the march for life.

Evangelicals “will work to ensure the Bill doesn't have a negative impact on individual freedoms or practices of churches”. The new law will now include transgender people.

The initiative of the Senate also seeks to explicitly ban discrimination on the grounds of disability. LGBTQI groups say same-sex marriage and adoption laws need to be shielded.

There is “extreme persecution” in 10 countries in Africa and the Middle East, says Open Doors. Elsewhere, worrying trends are observed in key geopolitical actors such as India, Saudi Arabia and China.

The Federation of Evangelical Religious Entities of Spain analyses the challenges and achievements of evangelical churches in 2022.