Pakistan

Police in Pakistan have arrested approximately 130 suspects following a Muslim-led riot targeting Christian churches and homes on Thursday.

A judge is allowing a Catholic to be charged with blasphemy under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism law, which his attorney said is “illegal and illogical.”

A third accusation of blasphemy in less than a month compelled Christians fearful of Islamic retribution to flee their homes in an eastern city in Pakistan this week.

Police in Pakistan charged a Christian with blasphemy on Friday (June 30) after he posted Bible verses on Facebook that infuriated Muslims, causing dozens of Christian families in a village near Sargodha city to flee their homes.

A Catholic who spent more than three years in jail on a baseless blasphemy charge had to pay an exorbitant amount of bail for release this month, just one example of gross injustices against him and other Christians.

Afghan Christians and other refugees looking to leave Afghanistan have few choices. Neighboring Pakistan had potential exit routes, but the Pakistani government has clamped down on refugees wishing to enter the country.

A Muslim landowner in Pakistan on Monday (Feb. 6) beat a Catholic farm laborer to death, claiming he had stolen oranges from his orchard, the victim’s family said.

Pakistan is considering a stricter blasphemy law. The country's lower house of parliament has passed a bill strengthening punishment for blasphemy despite international outcry and security concerns among Christians and other religious minorities there.