The Sealed

Three years after the widespread persecution of Christians in Orissa state, India, gained worldwide attention, Christians in Kandhamal district continue to suffer at the hands of Hindu extremists. Three Christian leaders were brutally murdered in Kandhamal in 2011, and local authorities apparently did little to find and prosecute their killers. In 2007 and 2008, many Christians were killed and at least 50,000 displaced in large-scale riots in...

Intolerance toward Christians continued to grow in 2011, according to year-end assessments by human-rights and Christian organizations. In particular, acts of violence against Christians during the holidays increased drastically. Stonegate Institute, a nonprofit organization that researches human rights issues, cited recent Nigerian church bombings — in which the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram killed more than 40 people attending a Christmas...

Six church leaders in Laos remain in prison after the local security force raided their Christmas celebration on Friday, Dec. 16. Under the Boukham village chief’s orders, eight church leaders were arrested and immediately escorted to the village government house. Four of the eight leaders were handcuffed and their feet placed in stocks, which are planks of wood fastened to the wall. Family members delivered blankets to the prisoners...