Christians charged with murder after praying for sick villager

Christians charged with murder after praying for sick villager

SAVANNAKHET PROVINCE, Laos — Eager to stop the spread of Christianity, authorities in a village in Laos have charged a pastor and four church members with murder after they prayed for a sick woman who later died, area sources said.

The deceased, a mother of eight grown children in Savannakhet Province identified only by her surname of Chan, had been ill for two years with an unknown condition. Various kinds of healers and doctors had treated her without success, area residents told a representative of Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF).

An HRWLRF representative, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said, “(Chan) embraced the Christian faith. Then she suddenly passed away June 21. The police authorities charged Kaithong as well as the other four Christians/leaders who were present at the funeral of murder because she passed away.” Her sons and daughters also began to embrace Christianity, he said, and other families in the village had already put their trust in Christ.

“I believe that authorities are trying to find every way they possibly can in order to stop the spread of Christian religious freedom in the area,” the HRWLRF representative said.