World in Brief

A pastor from Calgary, Canada has been arrested and accused of breaching the terms of his year-long house arrest after attending a protest ahead of his own court appeal. Derek Reimer had been charged with criminal harassment and breaching bail conditions following his participation at protests against drag storytime events at a library last year.

CBC News reports that Reimer was allowed to attend court hearings while serving his sentence, but is accused of exploiting this allowance by arriving at the court 90 minutes beforehand. His lawyer expressed concern that he has been “punished for going to court too early and saying the wrong thing”.

Eight Christians have been beheaded in a village in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), adding to a growing list of brutal attacks on believers by Islamic extremists. The incident is believed to have been carried out by Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP), who have allegedly killed around 800 Christians in the last year.

Barnabas Aid reports that ISCAP is targeting Christians because of their faith and they, along with central IS leadership, demanded in 2025 that African believers convert to Islam, or face fines or execution.

The Lahore High Court has ordered that a 13-year-old Christian girl is rescued and reunited with her family, and that the man who kidnapped her at the end of last year is arrested and charged. The court ruled that the girl could not consent to marriage or conversion to another religion because she is a child.

The attacker had fraudulently claimed the girl was older than she is, legitimising her conversion to Islam and marriage to him, but his claims were rejected. CLAAS-UK reports that the court verdict is a major win for the protection of children in the nation.

People in Myanmar who have been victims of war crimes have brought a case alleging a variety of war crimes and crimes against humanity to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Dili, Timor-Leste. Accusations include killings (including of a pastor and three deacons), attacks on Christian worship places, and gang rape, amongst others.

According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide, the case is being brought on grounds of universal jurisdiction, which enables action to be taken regardless of where crimes take place. The Chin people have suffered at the hands of ruling forces for decades and hope this case could signal a turning point.

Fulani herdsmen in the Gyel District of Plateau State, Nigeria began the year by killing at least 12 Christians and seriously injuring another in a series of attacks.

Morning Star News reports that one attack took place during daytime when a Christian was stabbed to death and another, who was critically injured, is now being treated in hospital. The Plateau Youth Council (PYC) called on the authorities to deal with the attackers and improve security procedures in the area.

Evangelicals working to deal with sexual abuse within Christian circles in Spain recently met to discuss the issue with the Prosecutor for Violence Against Women in Madrid. Talks covered the reality of abuse within Christian environments and loopholes open to exploitation in current laws concerning abuse.

Evangelical Focus reports that MS15 and GRACE (organisations which both exist to address abuse within Christian contexts) were represented at the meeting at the State Attorney General’s Office. It was agreed that dialogue between the parties would continue as they look to make improvements.

A Baptist church in a village of the Koksu District in Kazakhstan has been raided twice in a matter of weeks as the authorities look to put pressure on churches to officially register with the authorities.

Evangelical Focus reports that particular attention centres around the Council of Churches Baptist congregations, who do not want to register at all. Following the raids, the police charged several members who refused to write statements. However, cases against the church were dismissed as the courts could not prove that any crime had been committed by those at the services.

A Protestant pastor and his family have been forcibly removed from their community after he refused to take part in a Roman Catholic worship service which involved praying to an image of James the Apostle. He had spent five days in detention before his family were evicted from the area.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports that the pastor had agreed to take on a stewardship role in the Santiago Malacatepec community under an agreement that he would not have to perform activities contrary to his religious beliefs, but the authorities did not stand by their agreement.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) have expressed concern about United Arab Emirates (UAE) representatives becoming members of Donald Trump’s newly formed Board of Peace due to the nation’s involvement in the Sudanese civil war.

CSW recently highlighted evidence suggesting that the UAE have given Rapid Support Forces, one of the warring parties, military and financial support. Subsequently, they believe their involvement on the board could “undermine international law and human rights”.

A pastor of a church in a refugee camp in South Sudan has been imprisoned after the family of a recent convert to Christianity from Islam dragged him to the camp police station. The family of the 18-year-old convert accused him of kidnapping, but he has not yet been charged.

Morning Star News reports that Joseph Shawish, pastor of Glory Baptist Church in Ajoung Thok refugee camp is blamed by the family for making their daughter change religion. However, the church is refusing to give her back to her family due to the high risk of violence against her.

Luke Randall

Chile’s president-elect has appointed an Evangelical woman to his cabinet as the new Minister for Women and Gender Equality. Judith Marín takes office this month when incoming leader José Antonio Kast is confirmed as the nation’s next president. Evangelical Focus reports that the 30-year-old will be the cabinet’s youngest minister.

Marín (pictured) has previously called for a rethink surrounding the Ministry for Women’s approach and her traditional Christian values will mark a change from the previous focus on gender ideology of her predecessors. Opposing politicians have expressed their disappointment.

Luke Randall