Judge Mohammad Moghiseh refused to hear the case of Pastor Matthias Haghnejad, Shahrouz Eslamdoust, Babak Hosseinzadeh, Behnam Akhlaghi, Mehdi Khatibi until they agreed to replace their attorney.

The judge also refused to hear the case of four other members of the Church of Iran denomination who had decided to present their own defence.

Pastor Haghnejad and Mr Eslamdoust have been detained in Evin Prison in Tehran, while Mr Hosseinzadeh, Mr Akhlaghi and Mr Khatibi, who were transported to an unknown location, had their bail set at 160,000 Euros each.

The trial is set to resume in a few days on 28th July.

According to the Iran Prison Atlas, Judge Moghiseh – a cleric – has presided over the trials of many political prisoners and is iamous for having issued numerous death sentences.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said: “This case highlights once again the lack of due process in Iran’s Revolutionary Courts.

“The judge’s arbitrary and unwarranted decision to punish these Christians, simply for wanting to be represented by a lawyer of their choice, constitutes a grave violation of article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is party, and which stipulates, amongst other things, the right to legal assistance of one’s choosing.

“We urge the Iranian authorities to ensure that the…

Not a single girl has been born in a district of Uttarakhand in northern India since April, while 216 newborn boys have been recorded.

Authorities suspect that sex-selective terminations have been carried out in as many as 132 villages in the region.

Abortion by gender was banned in India 25 years ago, following a growing problem with mistreatment towards girls – with many being abandoned, starved and killed at birth.

Anushree Bernard from the Vanishing Girls campaign by religious freedom charity ADF International – which works to end the practise of aborting girls in the womb – told Premier the number of girls being born in India has been decreasing for many years: “The last census that was conducted in the year 2011 in India, there was a complete drastic decline in the child sex ratio between the age group of zero to six years in India, with only 918 girls for every thousand boys.”

Ms Bernard said that many parents chose to abort girls because of the potential financial pressures they can bring.

Sons are favoured in the culture as traditionally they are expected to provide economic stability for the family, whilst women are given in marriage and a dowry payment is required.

She explained: “When a girl gets married, the girl’s family has to pay a certain amount as gifts to the son in law in return for the marriage. The fathers always have this thought in the back…

The new status will enable the charity to have access to all relevant documentation and can help guide the inquiry.

Core Participant status can be given to an individual, organisation or institution that has a specific interest in the work of the Inquiry.

The new investigation will review the current child protection policies and procedures in religious institutions in England and Wales, including non-conformist Christian denominations and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Those within the Islamic, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist faiths will also be reviewed.

Thirtyone:eight will be represented throughout the investigation by its CEO, Justin Humphreys.

Humphreys said in a statement: “We feel immensely privileged to have been given this opportunity to work alongside the Inquiry in this way.

“There are few organisations that have worked so closely with faith-based organisations for as long as we have to support best practice in safeguarding.

“This has helped us to gain unrivalled knowledge, understanding and expertise that is now clearly important to the Inquiry as they explore the extent to which children have been and are protected in this wider range of organisations and settings.

“Today’s decision is recognition of this and we accept the responsibility this carries with humility and a desire to see further strengthening of safeguarding across the faith…

The Miami Vous Church leader, who married West and Kim Kardashian West in 2014, shared an eleven-minute video on Instagram of him speaking at the invite-only service. 

“If you’re new to Sunday Service, we just want to let you know we’re so glad you’re here,” Wilkerson says standing on top of a boulder while holding a Bible.

He told the crowd gathered on a mountain outside Los Angeles: “You are welcome to be here, but you should probably know that this is not a concert, this is not a performance, but rather an old-fashioned worship service of Jesus Christ.” 

He later added: “This is the coolest church service I’ve ever been to, and I’ve been to a lot.”

 

He went on to preach a sermon that made clear Jesus is the only way to heaven and clarified that it wasn’t a “vibe” or “energy” that those gathered were feeling, but rather the “tangible presence of a living God”. 

Wilkerson, the son of Robyn and Rich Wilkerson Sr, who run the mega church Trinity Church in Miami, ended with a call for salvation.

 

There has been an increasing interest in the weekly gatherings since West held a service at the Coachella music festival. 

However, some Christians maintain believers should be wary of its influence.

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