Today I wanted to share with you what Voice of the Martyrs is saying in response to the recent breaking news about this dear Afghan man who is being persecuted for his faith.

A few days ago I wrote a post based on an article in the Herald Sun that talked about a Christian man in Afghanistan who is being threatened with death because he will not deny Christ and embrace Islam.

In breaking news from Voice of the Martyrs media we've learned today that a government crackdown on Christians has escalated in Uzbekistan over the past weeks, according to Forum 18. On February 11, a house meeting of 40 Protestants in the southern village of Kum Kurgan was stormed by police, who summonsed the group for the next 18 days to be interrogated from 6:00 a.m. through the late evening. Police mocked them and confiscated their Bibles, giving them only one meal break each day. Rosa Tsoi, visiting from Tashkent, was charged with illegal missionary activity and had her passport taken so that she couldn’t leave town during the questioning, along with nearly three month’s wages.

UPDATE: MARCH 20 - La Shawn Barber has also posted on this story.

Today in India, Hopegivers President, Samuel Thomas, was arrested.

Many thanks to those of you who have posted comments recently. I really appreciate the feedback you're giving concerning the work of Richard Wurmbrand. And it is nice to see that I'm not the only one touched by what he went through. There is something inspiring about hearing about a faithful saint who doesn't waver in his devotion or faith in Christ.

• While walking to his bank in Lahore, Pakistan, Pastor Joseph Priam of Full Gospel Assemblies Church, was abducted and taken hostage by a group of Muslim militants on February 16th. Assist News Service reports that the captors sprung out of their car and applied a chemically treated handkerchief to the pastor’s face, rendering him unconscious as they stole his gold ring and cash. He was brutally tortured for five days and confined in a pitch-dark room. They never gave Joseph food or water, causing the shrinking of his kidneys. The radicals told him, “You are a Christian and your Christian brothers have published blasphemous caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in Denmark. That’s why we are going to kill you.” On February 21st at 1:30 a.m., Joseph was bound and thrown on the roadside before he untied himself and fetched a ride to safety.