The new president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has promised to make the protection of repressed Christians in foreign countries one of his foreign policy priorities. During the presidential election he met with a group of church leaders in Moscow on 8 February, who told him that Christians were suffering persecution all over the world, with one Christian dying for his or her faith every five minutes. When they asked him to give attention to this problem, he replied, “This is how it will be, have no doubt”. Give thanks for this undertaking, and pray that the president will honour it.

Source: Barnabas Prayer booklet, May 15^th, 2012

China's government is engaged in a three-phase campaign to eradicate Protestant house churches. The government's strategy was clearly outlined in a document released last September during a training class for "Patriots in the Christian Community" run by the State Administration for Religious Affairs.

Around 300 Christians have been killed in one diocese alone, and 27 people died in attacks on three church services as anti-Christian violence in Nigeria continues unabated.

The Rt Rev Timothy Yahaya, Bishop of Jalingo, Taraba State, in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, told Barnabas Fund that 300 Christians have been killed in his diocese in a series of incidents over the last three weeks.

A group of Khmu Christians from Na Sai village in Houa Phan province have been suffering persecution. The authorities arranged to move and resettle the village in August last year, but told the Christians that they could not go. In January this year, the Assistant District Governor came and told them that if they renounced their faith, they could move to the new village, be given corrugated iron for the roofs of their houses and their children could attend school. This offer was repeated in April and the addition that "you are only 7 families, of no worth. Sooner or later the government will get rid of you." But the Christians are still holding firm to their faith.

Source: Ian Bowley, former missionary to Laos, 28th April 2012

Christians in Mali are in desperate need of aid after being forced to flee their homes when Islamists rampaged through the north as part of a violent rebel takeover.

Ethnic Tuareg rebels, including Islamist movement Ansar Dine and a separatist group, seized control of northern Mali following a military coup that overthrew the government on 22 March. Boko Haram, the Islamist group that is waging war against Christians in Nigeria, have also been involved in the fighting.

Kartik Paramenika has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Ramesh Digal in Orissa, India. The conviction, which was handed down in March, is the first for any of the murders that occurred during widespread mob violence against Christians in Kandhamal, Orissa, in August and September of 2008 (for more, go to www.persecution.net/in-2008-08-27.htm).

Kartik had led a mob to Petapanga village in 2008, where he killed Ramesh and burned down his home. Ramesh had worked as a cook in a school at which Kartik was headmaster. In addition to the life sentence for the murder, Kartik was also sentenced to five years for arson and was fined 5,000 rupees.