Originally written on 17-12-2004.

In May 2002, the government summoned church leaders from all evangelical and Pentecostal denominations and instructed them to re-register their churches and, while their registration is processed, to refrain from congregating at their respective church buildings.

Some of these churches are historically linked with the worldwide Protestant denominations, such as the Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Baptists, Mennonites, Methodists. Others are indigenous churches, which are not linked to international Protestant denominations, including the Rhema church, the Hallelujah church, the New Covenant church, the Philadelphia church, etc.

The church leaders accepted the decree with sadness and, at the same time, with the hope that the government would fulfill its promise to re-open their churches. However, to date, over two years later, not one single church has received its registration.

On the contrary, during this time, the government began broadcasting anti-church propaganda, slandering church leaders, falsely accusing them of co-operation with foreign government forces (e.g. CIA etc.) Moreover, they began to arrest people simply for possessing Bibles; they raided private homes and arrested people attending small prayer-groups and Bible-study meetings. They pursued this strategy with such vehemence that some Christians were arrested simply for conducting family devotions within their own home.

It is estimated that three- to four-hundred members from these churches are presently inprisoned (exact figures cannot be obtained, mainly due to the continuous cycle of arrest and release of those who are forcibly incited to renounce their faith.)

During imprisonment, most prisoners are subjected to various forms of inhumane treatment. This includes torture and other methods of inflicting suffering, such as starvation, heavy labor and being locked inside an enclosed storage container, in filthy, hostile and suffocating conditions.