1. Iran: Officials Find New Ways to Bar Bahá’ís From Universities
2. Kyrgyzstan: Decree May Outlaw Smaller Religious Communities
3. China: Protestants Beaten Following Raid on Private HomeYUNNAN PROVINCE - A group of Protestants in Yunnan Province, China, were violently attacked as they attempted to claim damages for a December 2007 raid conducted on a house in Kunming by police and Religious Affairs Bureau officials, AsiaNews reported Feb. 1. On January 23, members of the Christian group appeared at the Xishan Public Security Bureau to file a claim for the Bibles and other religious objects destroyed in the course of the raid. According to AsiaNews, the police began to beat them, sending one woman to the hospital with severe injuries.
4. Malaysia: Customs Officials Confiscate Bibles
5. Iran: Parliament Considers Death Penalty for ApostasyTEHRAN - The Iranian Parliament is considering a new version of the penal code that would legislate the death penalty as a punishment for apostasy, a first in Iran’s history, the Assyrian International News Agency reported Feb. 5. The measure is designed to target minority religious communities in Iran, specifically Bahá’ís. Article 225-7 of the code would give the ‘apostate’ three days to recant his or her religious beliefs, but failure to do so would allow the death penalty to be carried out. Links to the penal code (available in Farsi) can be found at the link above.
6. Indonesia: Ahmadi Muslims Monitored Following Official Request
Features: The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief, Asma Jahangir, speaks about difficulties facing religious communities and individuals in Israel and the Gaza Strip. From the UN News Centre.
Chinese authorities continue to restrict Tibetan Buddhism ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, banning monks from conducting prayers in temples or private homes, constructing new stupas or visiting existing ones, and engaging in various activities that are central to the religion. From Radio Free Asia.
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