Advocating for Religious Freedom, Human Rights of Christians in India & around the World.
The 21, of whom 20 were Egyptian Coptic migrant labourers in Libya, and one was Ghanaian, were beheaded for their faith as they knelt in orange jumpsuits on a beach in Sirte, Libya.
The last words they all uttered was a soft prayer: “My Lord Jesus Christ”.
The bodies of the 21 were found in a mass grave in Libya in October 2017, together with their orange jumpsuits. They were identified by DNA testing, and the 20 Copts were in 2018 returned to Egypt, to the village of al-Our, Minya, some 250km south of Cairo, the home village of 13 of the martyrs. They were were buried in a special shrine in a church at al-Our built in their honour in 2018 by the Egyptian State and Coptic Church. Given that no one had claimed the body of the Ghanaian martyr, the Coptic Church, in response to wide demand by the Coptic congregation, asked the Libyan government for the body to be brought to Egypt to be buried next to his fellow martyrs. The Church pledged to hand the body over to any official claimant through official channels. The body was shipped to Egypt in 2020, and is buried in the shrine of the 21.
Join ICRM Prayer community, as we celebrate Lord Jesus Christ for the lives of 21 Coptic Christians Martyed for Jesus on 12-Feb-2015 . This year marks the 10th Anniversary of their martydom. Join us on
15-Feb-25 at 9:00 PM ET ,
16-Feb-25 7:30 AM IST Via zoom. Contact us at info@usicrm.org for more information.
A woman was killed last night in fresh interethnic clashes in Zairon Hmar, a village in Jiribam district, Manipur, a State in north-eastern India, torn by violence for more than a year. More than 10 houses were also set on fire, which the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), an organization that brings together several tribal groups, blames on Meitei militants. Read More
We're always looking for new partners to collaborate with, on projects and events. If your organization shares our values and mission, let's work together to make a positive impact.
USCIRF Releases 2024 Annual Report with New Recommendations for U.S. Policy
Highlights State of Religious Freedom Abroad after 25 Years of IRFA
Washington, D.C. – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released its 2024 Annual Report, which documents developments during 2023. USCIRF’s 2024 Annual Report provides recommendations to enhance the U.S. government’s promotion of freedom of religion or belief abroad. This year’s report commemorates the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). This landmark law made promoting the guaranteed right to freedom of religion or belief a priority in U.S. foreign policy.
The 2024 Annual Report also recommends 11 countries for placement on the State Department’s Special Watch List (SWL) based on their governments’ perpetration or toleration of severe violations of religious freedom. These include one that the State Department placed on that list in December 2023: Algeria—as well as 10 additional recommendations: Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. While the State Department included Vietnam on its SWL in December 2023, USCIRF believes the government of Vietnam’s violations rise to the level of CPC status. Additionally, USCIRF recommends the State Department add Kyrgyzstan to the SWL for the first time due to the Kyrgyz government’s heightened religious repression in 2023.
“Throughout 2023, the U.S. government regularly condemned abuses of religious freedom, imposed targeted sanctions on perpetrators, and advocated for the release of those imprisoned for the peaceful exercise of their religion or belief.
The report also highlights key USCIRF recommendations that the U.S. government implemented from USCIRF’s 2023 Annual Report—including adding Azerbaijan to the State Department’s SWL, imposing targeted sanctions on religious freedom violators, and advocating for religious prisoners of conscience, such as those included in USCIRF’s Frank R. Wolf Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims List.
The 2024 Annual Report can be viewed here.
Your support and contributions will enable us to meet our goals and improve conditions . Your generous donation will help Christians in India.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.