Christian Solidarity International - USA

08/30/2026

After 28 years in captivity, Abuk Machar Tong has been liberated and is rebuilding her life in South Sudan. Abuk was just 12 years old when armed militia captured her in 1998 from her home village in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state. She was forced to walk to Sudan where she was enslaved for nearly three decades, forced to work on a farm while enduring physical abuse and deprivation. Her rescue is part of CSI's ongoing mission: we have helped free more than 160,000 people from slavery in Sudan over the past 30 years through partnerships with local communities. Now 40, Abuk has received a starter kit to help her rebuild her life and support herself through farming. She credits CSI with saving her life, saying: "In the harsh environment in Sudan, death is very close." The enslavement of South Sudanese dates back to Sudan's civil war (1983-2005), when Islamist militias targeted non-Muslim communities for capture. Though slave raiding ended in 2005, many remain in captivity without a path to repatriation. CSI continues this vital work of liberation and restoration. Learn more about our mission in South Sudan and Sudan: https://www.csi-int.org/project-countries/south-sudan-and-sudan/

https://csi-usa.org/south-sudanese-christian-woman-liberated-after-28-years-of-slavery/

07/24/2026

Sri Lanka: Church Faces Harassment Over Registration

A congregation that has worshipped together for over three decades is now facing repeated investigations and scrutiny over its registration status. Since 2025, police have visited the church multiple times, disrupting worship services and questioning church leaders about their documentation.

The core issue: Sri Lanka's registration system for places of worship has become increasingly restrictive. Since 2022, the government has imposed complex requirements that, while framed as voluntary, have effectively become mandatory. Churches must obtain approval from multiple government offices and prove property ownership—conditions that many small congregations cannot meet.

The impact is significant. As of February 2026, despite over 2,000 applications from new congregations, not a single church has received registration from Sri Lanka's Ministry of Buddhasasana and Religious Affairs. More than 100 churches have been ordered to register or discontinue worship services.

Christian Solidarity International has raised this issue at the UN Human Rights Council, highlighting how these restrictions have forced some churches to close and left Christians exposed to harassment without legal recourse.

Freedom of religion requires the freedom to establish and operate places of worship. We call on Sri Lankan authorities to reform these registration requirements and protect religious liberty for all faith communities.

Learn more:

A church on the outskirts of Colombo has faced repeated investigations after questions were raised about its registration status. Challenges surrounding church registration are the biggest issue facing Christian congregations in the country.

07/23/2026

Christian Solidarity International (CSI) has joined Armenian civil rights groups in condemning comments by Feridun Sinirlioğlu, Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), apparently offering support to the Armenian government to remove Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians and head of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAHC).

In a statement issued on July 23, CSI, the Armenian Center for Political Rights, and the Helsinki Committee of Armenia expressed “deep concern” over the remarks made by the most senior official of the OSCE.
The recorded comments by Sinirlioğlu, a citizen of Turkey, were obtained by Russian pranksters, who made a telephone call to the OSCE secretary general while pretending to be Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The call was made public on July 8.
Speaking with the person impersonating Pashinyan, the OSCE head agreed to “look into” how his organization might support the Armenian government in the matter of removing the Catholicos.
“For the most senior official of an organization whose founding commitments include the protection of human rights to entertain such a request—even in passing—is deeply troubling and demands an immediate and public clarification,” the signatories to the statement write.

The signatories say that, while obtained through deception, Sinirlioğlu’s words “reveal a posture that cannot be reconciled with the responsibilities of his office.”

The signatory organizations call on Sinirlioğlu to publicly clarify and retract any suggestion that the OSCE would support the removal of the Catholicos or otherwise interfere in the internal governance of the AAHC; reaffirm the OSCE’s commitment to protecting freedom of religion or belief in Armenia, consistent with its human dimension commitments; and engage with the Catholicos to ensure that the rights of the AAHC, its clergy and its faithful are fully respected.
Since May 2025, the Pashinyan government has pursued a systematic and sustained campaign against the AAHC as part of a broader attack on democracy and the rule of law in Armenia. Pashinyan has publicly called for the removal of Catholicos Karekin II, set out steps to depose him, and levelled unsubstantiated accusations against the Catholicos and senior clergy. Travel bans have been brought against the Catholicos and several bishops, and high-ranking clergymen have been detained on criminal charges that appear politically motivated.

Throughout its history the Armenian Church has played a critical role in preserving the Armenian language, culture and national identity. The Catholicos has sought to defend the rights of the Armenian people, not least those ethnically cleansed from Nagorno Karabakh in 2023.

The government’s actions constitute a state-orchestrated effort to subordinate the church to the government’s will, putting at risk the separation of church and state enshrined in Armenia’s Constitution, the signatories argue.

“Now that Nikol Pashinyan has won an unprecedented third term in power, it is more important than ever that international institutions hold his government to account,” said Joel Veldkamp, CSI’s director for Public Advocacy. “We hope the OSCE will address the confusion caused by its Secretary-General’s remarks promptly.”

https://csi-usa.org/rights-bodies-condemn-remarks-by-osce-secretary-general-apparently-supporting-removal-of-head-of-armenian-church/

07/21/2026

Justice Prevails: Blind Christian Man Acquitted of Blasphemy Charges in Pakistan

In a landmark case offering hope amid ongoing persecution, a Pakistani court has acquitted 51-year-old Nadeem Yousaf of blasphemy charges on June 22, 2026, ending his 10-month imprisonment. Falsely accused under Pakistan's Section 295-C blasphemy law by park contractors seeking to steal his business and evade debts, Yousaf faced a mandatory death sentence.

His defense team, led by Advocate Javed Sahotra, systematically dismantled the prosecution's case, proving the alleged incident supposedly occurred at 11 p.m. when the park had been closed since 9 p.m. With vital legal aid and financial support from Christian Solidarity International (CSI), Yousaf received justice.

Upon release, Yousaf visited his church for a pastoral blessing. "When the judge said the word 'acquitted,' it felt like a heavy stone was lifted off my chest," he said—expressing forgiveness toward those who harmed him.

This case exposes the dangers of Pakistan's weaponized blasphemy laws. In 2025 alone, 812 people in Punjab were imprisoned on blasphemy charges, with religious minorities particularly vulnerable. CSI continues fighting for justice for the persecuted. Your support makes cases like Nadeem's possible.

After 10 months of wrongful imprisonment, Nadeem Yousaf, who has been blind since birth, is a free man. A court cleared the Catholic of blasphemy charges that would have carried a mandatory death sentence. CSI provided legal support to the family.

07/15/2026

Christian Solidarity International warns European Parliament: Current EU policy weakens Armenia and strengthens Turkey's regional influence. More than 1,000 days after the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno Karabakh in September 2023, twenty Armenian Christians remain held hostage by Azerbaijan's government. CSI Director Joel Veldkamp presented critical findings: the EU-brokered peace process has demanded major concessions from Armenia while asking almost nothing of Azerbaijan, creating a weakened Armenia unable to counterbalance Turkish influence over the Middle Corridor trade route. The ethnic cleansing displaced 120,000 Armenian Christians, and Artsakh's former leaders now face 'sham trials' designed to criminalize Armenian self-determination. CSI urgently calls on European policymakers to demand the immediate release of the twenty Armenian hostages and reconsider policies that inadvertently strengthen authoritarian actors while weakening democratic allies. Europe must choose: support principles of justice and regional stability, or enable Turkish-Azerbaijani dominance over this strategically vital region.

https://csi-usa.org/csi-warns-european-parliament-current-policy-weakens-armenia-empowers-turkey/

07/14/2026

A Pakistani Christian man has been rescued and reunited with his family after more than two years of forced labor and coerced religious conversion. At age 24, Sabir Masih left his village in March 2024 seeking employment to improve his family's circumstances. Instead, he was trafficked to a madrassa where he was threatened with blasphemy charges and forced to convert to Islam under duress. He was subsequently exploited for labor at a factory in Lahore, where he was isolated from his family and trapped in a cycle of debt-based servitude.

In early 2026, a chance encounter with a village acquaintance led to his discovery. Christian Solidarity International (CSI) launched an investigation and negotiated his release on May 19, 2026.

The reunion with his mother was profound—yet bittersweet. Sabir's father had passed away just weeks earlier, his health broken by the anguish of his son's disappearance. Despite missing his father's final moments, Sabir has begun his healing journey, renewing his baptismal vows at a local church and reclaiming his Christian identity.

This case reflects the vulnerabilities faced by Pakistan's Christian minority—over 3 million people in a nation of 250 million—who often work in exploitative conditions and remain at risk of trafficking and forced conversion. CSI's intervention demonstrates the critical importance of advocacy and rescue efforts for persecuted religious minorities. Your support makes rescues like Sabir's possible.

Trafficked into a Lahore factory after being coerced into converting to Islam, 24-year-old Sabir Masih is finally reunited with his widowed mother and his Christian faith.

07/13/2026

BREAKING: Nigerian Widow Seeks Justice for Daughter's Alleged Forced Conversion

A Christian widow in Nigeria has filed a landmark legal case at the Federal High Court in Jos, challenging the alleged abduction, forced conversion, and religious renaming of her 17-year-old daughter by the state.

Kumabe Zakari is seeking the immediate release of her daughter, Faith Barnabas, from a government-run child welfare facility, along with 150 million naira (approximately $95,000) in damages for violations of her daughter's constitutional rights.

According to the court filing, Faith disappeared from her grandmother's home in Bauchi in April 2026 after sitting for university entrance examinations. The family alleges that an adult man groomed the girl for years before taking her from Jos to an undisclosed location. Police later located her and arrested the man, but instead of returning Faith to her family, authorities placed her in state custody.

This case reflects a documented pattern in Nigeria's predominantly Muslim northern states, where advocacy groups and UN experts have recorded numerous cases of underage Christian girls being abducted, forcibly converted, and forced into marriage. In June 2026, independent UN experts formally communicated concerns to the Nigerian government about "rampant" violence targeting Christians and other religious minorities.

Nigeria's 1999 Constitution guarantees every person the freedom to choose and change religion. This case asks a fundamental question: Can a state legally recognize a minor's religious conversion without parental consent? The answer matters for religious freedom and child protection across the nation.

Stand with persecuted Christians. Support religious freedom and justice for Faith.

https://csi-usa.org/nigerian-widow-sues-state-over-alleged-forced-conversion-of-teenage-daughter/

07/08/2026

Christians in Syria's Suqaylabiyah Face Mounting Persecution After Regime Change

In 2022, the Christian community of Suqaylabiyah, Syria built the Hagia Sophia Church—a bold statement of faith and continuity. Just three days after the Assad regime's fall in December 2024, the church was pillaged and its doors sealed.

Since then, systematic pressure has intensified: attacks on Christian symbols, a December Christmas tree burning, and a March 28 pogrom that saw armed men torch vehicles and loot shops while security forces stood by.

Syria's new security apparatus, now dominated by Islamist militants, has transformed a once-religiously diverse state. Young Christians face detention, harassment, and forced emigration.

The statistics are stark: Syria's Christian population has collapsed from 1.2 million in 2011 to just 200,000 today.

The world must not forget the plight of Syria's ancient Christian communities. Stand with persecuted Christians. Your donation helps provide aid, advocacy, and hope. Donate today and be part of the solution.

https://csi-usa.org/a-syrian-town-answered-erdogan-with-a-hagia-sophia-now-its-christians-are-leaving/

06/30/2026

A few days ago we shared the story of families facing famine in Sudan. Many of you responded with kindness, prayers, and shares — and we're grateful.

But we want to be honest with you: the need hasn't changed.

25 million people in Sudan are still facing acute hunger. Families in the Nuba Mountains are still going to sleep without enough to eat. CSI's teams are still on the ground — but they can only reach as many families as your support makes possible.

If you meant to give and haven't yet, today is a great day to act. And if you've already given — thank you. Please consider sharing this post so others have the chance to help too.

Your generosity has the power to change lives for families who have nothing left but hope.

06/25/2026

Sudan is experiencing one of the worst hunger crises in modern history — and most of the world doesn't know it's happening.

Half the country's population — 25 million people — faces acute food insecurity. Families like Intazar's have fled their villages, leaving everything behind. She lost her husband in the conflict and is now caring for her children alone, among 2 million displaced people in the Nuba Mountains.

CSI has been on the ground in Sudan for more than 30 years — reaching communities in dangerous, underserved areas where few others go. We're distributing food, providing medical care, and standing alongside families who have nowhere else to turn.

Your gift today can help feed hungry children and families who desperately need it. Every contribution makes a difference for people in crisis.