A 35-year-old Christian man was reportedly tortured and killed by police while in custody in Lahore, Pakistan. His family attempted to storm the policy station in protest, while an investigation has been launched into the incident.

Fides News Agency reported that the family of Rakha Shahzad is demanding justice for the slain man, which has prompted an investigation by authorities. The agents involved in the incident have claimed that the Christian, who was allegedly arrested because of selling drugs and alcohol, died because of a “heart attack” during the investigation. The brother of the diseased has claimed, however, that Shahzad “was arrested for no reason.”

An autopsy will be carried out on the man’s body to determine the cause of death.

Fr. Francis Nadeem, provincial of the Capuchins in Pakistan, said that the Christian community in Pakistan has once again been left bewildered “due to the umpteenth extrajudicial killing.”

Christian lawyer Mushtaq Gill, who has been involved in a number of cases defending Christians from Pakistan’s strict blaspheme laws, added, “The whole world is still deeply shocked and outraged for the lynching of the Christian couple in Kasur, but violence continues: it is urgent to repeal laws that are routinely used to persecute Christians and ensure justice and legality, starting with the work and the behavior of the police and public officials.”

The Christian couple, 28-year-old Shahzad Masih and 25-year-old Shama Bibi, were killed and burned by a mob of Muslims earlier in November, allegedly for desecrating a copy of the Quran.

The grisly murder led to the arrest of at least 44 people, and Pakistani authorities have said that they will bring those responsible to justice.

The murder of the couple was condemned by persecution watchdog groups, including the International Christian Concern.

“The brutal killing of Shahzad and Shama once again highlights the extreme danger of religious fanaticism that Christians in Pakistan face on a regular basis. The accusation of blasphemy can be used for any dispute and can often prove deadly as it did today, inciting a mob to brutally murder this young couple,” ICC Regional Manager Todd Daniels said in a statement.

Christians and other religious minorities regularly face hostilities for their faith, and are often targeted by the blasphemy laws.

A report by NGO network Awaz-e-Haq Itehad two weeks ago noted that 182 Christians have faced blasphemy charges in Pakistan between 1987 and October 2014, which often carry life in prison or the death penalty as punishment.

Source and Original Content by Christian Post

The lawyer representing two Christian pastors and a deacon facing six years in prison in Iran for their faith has reportedly been denied access to his clients ahead of an appeal hearing.

“It is unacceptable that these men have been denied access to their legal counsel ahead of the court hearing. We remain concerned about the lack of due process in their case and the exceptional nature of their punishment. They have committed no crime and are effectively being punished for their faith,” said Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas on Monday.

“We are deeply concerned for their wellbeing and, in particular, for pastor Irani’s health, which has deteriorated significantly during his unjust detention. We urge the Iranian authorities to release these men and the many others who are being held in contravention of the international covenants guaranteeing freedom of religion or belief to which Iran is party,” Thomas added.

The lawyer, Vahid Moshkani Farahani, has been seeking to meet with pastor Behnam Irani, pastor Matthias Haghnejad and deacon Silas Rabbani ahead of the trial, but has been denied by Iranian authorities several times.

The Christians all received six-year sentences in October, and are facing an appeal at the Sixth Branch of Karaj Revolutionary Court.

Farahani has also expressed concerns for the welfare of Irani, who has complained of several medical issues while in prison, but has not received the needed medical care.

In an earlier report, the persecution watchdog group noted that the Christians are set to serve out their sentences in isolated prisons, which would force their families to travel great distances to visit them…Read More

Source and Original Content by Christian Post

Christian, Yazidi and other refugees in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq who fled Islamic State terrorists now face a freezing winter with temperatures of 35 to 55 degrees and few resources to sustain them.

“Winter is upon them, and it is already cold at nights, but they don’t have anywhere to go,” Juliana Taimoorazy, president of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council told the National Catholic Register. “This is a human tragedy unfolding in front of our eyes, and not enough is happening.

The refugee camps are already affected by fever and disease, she said. Thousands of refugees have left Iraq altogether and crossed the border into Turkey.

According to the UN there are about 850,000 Iraqi refugees in Kurdistan, including 150,000 Christians.

Caroline Brennan, of Catholic Relief Services, told NCR: “Just weeks or months ago, they were middle-class; they had homes; they had careers: They were corporate professionals or barbers or teachers or college students. Now, they are just living under extremely perilous conditions.”

Source and Original Content by Christian Today

Islamic State militants have blown up one of the oldest churches in the city of Mosul, according to Kurdish media sources.

St George’s church was built in the late 17th century, though rebuilt in 1931.

According to the Rudaw news service, cries of ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is Great) rose from many mosques in the city as Islamist militants blew up the church.

Since its takeover of Mosul in June, Islamic State has destroyed a number of churches, Shiite mosques and other ancient sites, including the shrine of Prophet Jonah.

Mosul was once the heartland of Iraqi Christianity, with a Christian presence going back many generations. Islamic State militants gave Christians the option of leaving the the city, converting or dying when they took over the city in July. Many were murdered or driven out in circumstances of extreme brutality.

Saad Mamuzin, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) 14th branch in Mosul told Rudaw that the latest bombings are Islamic State’s revenge for their defeat on the battleground.

“The organisation has once again turned to bombing churches and mosques after it lost popularity and many of its members to the airstrikes that have targeted strongholds in different areas of the city,” he said.

The extremist group has also blown up Yazidi and Kakei shrines outside the city as thousands of Yazidi and Christians have fled their homes to the Kurdistan region.

Pressure is mounting on Islamic State in the area, with the reported death of at least 33 militants yesterday in Mosul and the surrounding region, including a leader implicated in the sale of abducted Yazidi women. Iraqi security forces have retaken two town after battles with militants.

US Vice President Joe Biden met Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan during a visit to Istanbul at the weekend aimed at boosting co-operaton between the two countries in their policy towards Islamic State. Turkey has been a reluctant partner in the US-led coalition. It has demanded the removal of President Bashar al-Assad from power in Syria and the establishment of a no-fly zone in Syria, which the US has resisted. However, Turkey has offered to train Syrian rebels and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.

Source and Original Content by Christian Today