Five ethnic believers from southern Laos were imprisoned by local authorities on the 5th of January 2023 for allegedly refusing to give up their faith in Jesus. These believers were summoned by the village chief to report to his office for interrogation. Upon arrival, local police officers were already waiting for them, and they were immediately apprehended and put into prison without any explanation and the chance to be heard.
Several other believers in the village share that since the number of Christians in their village grew significantly for over a year now, their church has been constantly monitored by the local authorities. On a regular basis, they have also been reporting to the village chief’s office for interrogation and asked to deny their faith.
OD local partner believes that the authorities felt that due to the rapid growth of Christians in the village, they have become a threat to the unity and peace of their community. Our partner is getting in touch with our contacts to reach out to the families of the imprisoned believers to provide any needed support.
There are only a few hundred people who belong to these imprisoned believers’ ethnic group who are still living in Laos. They used to live traveling around the jungle in search of food while finding a way to survive. They were previously disconnected from others but are now starting to settle in different areas of the country and interact with other ethnic groups.
*top photo: representative image
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