The Sealed

Iranian pastor Abdolreza “Matthias” Haghnejad was released from prison on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011, after a family member pledged their property for his bail. Haghnejad is charged with blasphemy against Islam, according to VOM contacts. Haghnejad, a pastor from the city of Bandar Anzal, was arrested on Aug. 17, while making a pastoral visit in the city of Rasht. VEVAK, the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and National Security, held...

The Iranian government is showing increasing concern about the large quantities of Bibles entering the country, according to VOM contacts. Government advisor Dr. Majid Abhari recently announced the seizure of 6,500 copies of the Bible between the cities of Zanjan and Abhar in northwest Iran, according to Mohabat News. He accused the missionaries in charge of the operation of using money and propaganda to influence people in Iran, specifically...

The Voice of the Martyrs has enjoyed three successful regional conferences so far this year at its new headquarters in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Only one more regional conference will be held in Bartlesville in 2011, so now is the time to sign up if you are interested in attending. “These regional conferences will inform, inspire, and call believers into deeper involvement in their support of persecuted believers around the world,”...

Authorities in Uzbekistan continue to pressure churches and religious groups, often fabricating evidence to punish or limit Christians’ ability to practice their faith. Christians recently have been subjected to excessive fines, false accusations and literature confiscations. In the most recent case, on July 15, 2011, Konstantin Malchikovsky, pastor of the Hamza District Baptist Church in Tashkent, was indicted for tax fraud. The...