Author: Patrice Pederson

Top FoRB Stories for 30 Jun 2025

  1. Syria: Suicide Bombing Kills 22 Christians in Damascus Church During Worship
  2. Sudan: Churches Bombed, Priest Killed as Siege of El Fasher Intensifies
  3. Bangladesh: Hindu Jailed and Temple Demolished Amid Rising Anti-Minority Violence
  4. Michigan: Armed Man Opens Fire on Church Filled with Families—Stopped by Worshippers
  5. New Zealand: Sacred Symbols Trampled as Police Look On
  6. India: Murder Convict Speaks Out— “There Is No Forceful Conversion”

Top FoRB Stories for 23 Jun 2025

  1. Nigeria: 200 Christians Massacred in Overnight Attack
  2. USA: 12 Injured in Firebomb Attack on Jewish Festival in Colorado
  3. Pakistan: Blasphemy Laws Used to Steal Land, Jail Innocents, and Silence Minorities
  4. Cuba: Afro-Cuban Religious Leader Returned to Prison
  5. DRC: Over 150 Christians Killed by Islamist Militants in North Kivu
  6. Kenya Hosts Africa’s First-Ever International Religious Freedom Summit

Top FoRB Stories for 14 Jun 2025

  1. Syria: Gunfire Strikes Ancient Church Cross in Homs
  2. Iran Re-Charges 26 Baha’is With No New Evidence
  3. India: Christians Attacked During Wedding Celebration in Chhattisgarh
  4. Belarus Criminalizes Worship Without State Permission
  5. Russia Upholds 6-Year Prison Terms for Ukrainian Jehovah’s Witnesses in Occupied Crimea
  6. Good News Bonus: West African Court Strikes Down Nigeria’s Blasphemy Laws
  7. Bonus Good News: U.S. Congress Reauthorizes International Religious Freedom Act

Top FoRB Stories for 7 Jun 2025

  1. Kenyan Politician Embraces Iran’s Model of ‘Religious Democracy’
  2. Three Baha’i Women Arrested in Iran, Taken to Undisclosed Location
  3. Christian Army Officer Dismissed in India for Refusing Hindu Rituals
  4. Blasphemy by Another Name? UK Charges Man Over Quran Burning
  5. Vietnamese Religious Refugees Detained, Threatened in Thai Immigration Centers
  6. Good News Bonus: Vietnamese Pastor Released After 12 Years in Prison

Top FoRB Stories for 31 May 2025

  1. Bangladesh : Hindu Homes Burned After Political Killing—Police Do Nothing
  2. Nigeria: Benue State Massacre: 42 Killed in Religious Violence
  3. Cuba: Pastors Face Prison for Mentioning God
  4. India: Christian Family in Chhattisgarh Attacked and Forced into Hiding
  5. France Moves to Ban Hijabs in Sports, Excluding Religious Women
  6. Good News Bonus: Christian Aid Worker Freed in Northwest Nigeria​

Top FoRB Stories for 24 May 2025

  1. Israeli Embassy Staff Killed in Washington D.C.
  2. Ahmadi Muslim Doctor Killed in Pakistan Amid Rising Faith-Based Violence
  3. Colorado — Christian Camp Challenges New Rule on Gender-Based Facility Access
  4. Illinois Man Sentenced for Hate Crime Murder of 6-Year-Old Palestinian-American Boy
  5. 30 Years Since Disappearance of Tibetan Spiritual Leader
  6. Good News Bonus: Pakistan — New Law Aims to Protect Religious Minorities

Top FoRB Stories from 17 May 2025

  1. Nigeria: Christian communities attacked while US & UK deepen military ties
  2. India: Condemns violence against Hindus—deports Muslim refugees to face persecution
  3. Malaysia: Falun Gong arrests followed by national tolerance campaign
  4. Iran: Christian converts imprisoned as Tehran seeks global normalization
  5. France: Sits on the UN Human Rights Council—yet fails to protect freedom of religion or belief at home
  6. Good News Bonus​: Ethiopia: Interfaith summit brings together critics and allies in a hopeful sign for peace

Top FoRB Stories for 9 May 2025

  1. Nigerian Christian Leaders Declare ‘Enough Is Enough’ Amid Escalating Attacks​
  2. Vietnam Hosts UN Vesak Celebration Amid Scrutiny of Religious Freedom Record
  3. Arrest of Baha’i Leader in Qatar Raises Alarms Over Religious Freedom and Iranian Influence
  4. India’s Waqf Law Faces Legal Challenge Amid Religious Freedom Concerns
  5. U.S. Congress Passes Bill Targeting China’s Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners
  6. Good News Bonus: UK Interfaith VE Day Celebration

WHO Opens Brief Window for Public Hearing on New Pandemic Treaty

Fewer than 24 Hours Remain to Comment on Proposed Expansion of Global Authority   Press Release: September 12, 2022 UPDATE: The deadline has now been extended until Friday September 16 at 11:59 CET.  On Friday, September 9, 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the promised public hearing on a new pandemic treaty would […]