Marriage Law," Law Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/item/ global-legal-monitor/2025-07-01/pakistan-president-grants-assent-to- islamabad-child-marriage-law/ 169 Amjad Mahmood, “Bill seeking to raise minimum legal age for Christian marriage submitted to Punjab Assembly committee," Dawn , April 9, 2026 https://www.dawn.com/news/1990251 170 “Christian leaders seek review of Maria case ruling, oppose child marriage law," Pakistan Today , April 14, 2026 https://www.pakistantoday.com. pk/2026/04/14/christian-leaders-seek-review-of-maria-case-ruling- oppose-child-marriage-law 171 “Christian leaders seek review of Maria case ruling, oppose child marriage law," Pakistan Today , April 14, 2026 https://www.pakistantoday.com. pk/2026/04/14/christian-leaders-seek-review-of-maria-case-ruling- oppose-child-marriage-law 172 Pia Gralki and Catherine Caruso, “Pakistan Law Allows Men to Marry Girls After Their First Period," Global Citizen , February 11, 2020 https:// www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/pakistan-court-allows-men-to-marry- underage-girls/ [All below Pakistan sites accessed 04/22/26] . 173 “UN experts concerned by forced conversion through marriage in Pakistan," United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, April 22, 2026 https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/04/un- experts-concerned-forced-conversion-through-marriage-pakistan 174 “The Forced Islamization of Pakistan’s Religious Minorities," Voice of Pakistan Minority , August 12, 2025 https://thevopm.org/the-forced- islamization-of-pakistans-religious-minorities/ ; Anwar Iqbal, "1,000 minority girls forced into marriage every year: report," Dawn , April 8, 2014 https://www.dawn.com/news/1098452 175 “Record Number of Blasphemy Cases Recorded in Pakistan," Morning Star News , May 1, 2025 https://morningstarnews.org/2025/05/record-number- of-blasphemy-cases-recorded-in-pakistan/ 176 John Pontifex, “Christian woman sentenced to death over WhatsApp messages," ACN (Ireland) , September 27, 2024 https://www.acnireland. org/journal/2024/9/30/pakistan-christian-woman-sentenced-to-death- over-whatsapp-messages 177 Juliet Chowdhry, “A Christian Family’s Fight to Bring Their Daughter Home," Pakistan Christian Post , February 19, 2025 https://www. pakistanchristianpost.com/head-line-news-details/8150 178 “Christians take to streets to protest lack of justice 2 years after Jaranwala attacks," Christian Post , August 24, 2025 https://www.christianpost.com/ news/christians-protest-lack-of-justice-2-years-after-jaranwala-attacks.html 179 John Pontifex, “Demand for justice after Christian man found hanged," ACN (UK) News , March 11, 2026 https://acnuk.org/news/2026/03/11/ demand-justice-after-christian-man-found-hanged 180 “After three years of conflict, Sudan faces a deeper health crisis," WHO , April 14, 2026 https://www.who.int/news/item/14-04-2026-after-three- years-of-conflict--sudan-faces-a-deeper-health-crisis [accessed 04/22/26] . 181 “Genocide is declared once more in Sudan. How did the country get here," CNN , January 10 https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/10/africa/sudan- genocide-explained 182 “The Washington Times: Trump can stop Sudan violence with two phone calls," USCIRF , December 3, 2025 https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/op- eds/washington-times-trump-can-stop-sudan-violence-two-phone-calls [accessed 07/08/26] . 183 “How Sudan's Christians Became Targets in Africa's Deadliest War," The Restorationist , December 8, 2025 https://restoremag.com/how-sudans- christians-became-targets-in-africas-deadliest-war/ [accessed 07/08/26] . 184 Ibid. 185 “Sudan," Religious Freedom in the World Report 2025 https:// acninternational.org/religiousfreedomreport/reports/country/2025/ sudan [accessed 07/08/26] . 186 Laetitia Bader, “UN Body Finds 'Hallmarks of Genocide' in Darfur," Human Rights Watch , February 24, 2026 https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/02/24/ un-body-finds-hallmarks-of-genocide-in-darfur [accessed 07/08/26] . 187 “Christians in Sudan Watch Helplessly as their Church Building is Demolished," International Christian Concern , July 25, 2025 https:// persecution.org/2025/07/25/christians-in-sudan-watch-helplessly-as- their-church-building-is-demolished/ [accessed 07/08/26] . 188 “Sudan," World Watchlist https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/ world-watch-list/sudan/ [accessed 07/08/26] . 189 “Christians in Sudan Watch Helplessly as their Church Building is Demolished," op cit . 190 “Officials in Sudan Warn Church Building Will Be Demolished," Morning Star News , June 19, 2026 https://morningstarnews.org/2026/06/officials- in-sudan-warn-church-building-will-be-demolished/ [accessed 06/07/26] . 191 “5 Dead after RSF Bombs Churches in Sudan," International Christian Concern , July 14 https://persecution.org/2025/07/14/5-dead-after-rsf- bombs-churches-in-sudan/ [accessed 07/08/26] . 192 “Christians in Sudan Watch Helplessly as their Church Building is Demolished," op cit . 193 “Drone Strike on Christmas Day Kills Christians in Sudan," Morning Star News , January 2, 2026 https://morningstarnews.org/2026/01/drone- strike-on-christmas-day-kills-christians-in-sudan/ [accessed 07/08/26] . 194 Nathalie Raffray, “Priest who refused to evacuate volatile region
un-experts-warn-rights-violations-against-women-and-girls-christian [accessed 06/22/26] . 142 Ibid. 143 Hear Her Cries (ACN, 2021), p. 26. 144 “A decade After Chibok, Nigeria confronts a new surge in child abductions," UNOHC , January 12, 2026 https://www.ohchr.org/en/ stories/2026/01/decade-after-chibok-nigeria-confronts-new-surge-child- abductions [accessed 02/23/26] . 145 Filipe d'Avillez, “Priest kidnapped and murdered," ACN (UK) News , March 5, 2025 https://acnuk.org/news/2025/03/05/nigeria-priest-kidnapped- and-murdered [accessed 02/23/26] . 146 John Newton, “36 killed by extremists in weekend of terror," ACN (UK) News , May 27, 2025 https://acnuk.org/news/2025/05/27/nigeria-36-killed- extremists-weekend-terror [accessed 02/23/26] . 147 John Newton, “School children released — but kidnapping still a national crisis," ACN (UK) News , December 23, 2025 https://acnuk.org/ news/2025/12/23/nigeria-school-children-released-kidnapping-still- national-crisis [accessed 02/23/26] . 148 Makuochi Okafor, “Nigeria police confirm mass church abductions after previous denial," BBC News (online), January 19, 2026 https://www.bbc. co.uk/news/articles/c4grw9vg7y4o [accessed 02/23/26] . 149 Anugrah Kumar, “Children taken from Christian Orphanage still in Gov’t Custody after Failed Handover," Christian Post , April 20, 2026 https://www. christianpost.com/news/children-taken-from-christian-orphanage-still- in-govt-custody.html [accessed 07/31/26] . 150 Rachel Huston, “Pastor and 27 Christians killed in overnight attack on Nigerian village," Premier , June 26, 2026 https://premierchristian.news/ en/news/article/reverend-among-those-killed-in-latest-attack-on- christian-village-in-nigeria [accessed 07/02/26] . 151 “Does North Korea Have Freedom of Religion?" LegalClarity https:// legalclarity.org/does-north-korea-have-freedom-of-religion/ [unless noted all sites for North Korea accessed 04/20/26] . 152 Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism and the Right to Freedom of religion, thought and conscience in North Korea (USCIRF, 2022), p. 5 https://www.uscirf. gov/publication/kimilsungism-kimjongilism-and-right-freedom-religion- thought-and-conscience-north-korea 153 “Kin Jong Un sidelines his predecessors in sweeping cult of personality push," DailyNK , April 14, 2026 https://www.dailynk.com/english/kim-jong- un-cult-of-personality-north-korea-ninth-party-congress/ 154 “North Korea," USCIRF 2026 Annual Report , March 2026 p38 https://www. uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2026-03/USCIRF_2026_AR%20(2).pdf 155 Ibid. 156 Mun Dong Hui, “N. Korea’s political prison camps: Shrinking populations amid tightening control," Daily NK , July 30, 2024 https://www.dailynk. com/english/north-korea-political-prison-camps-shrinking-populations- amid-tightening-control/ [accessed 07/06/26] . 157 Mun Dong Hui, "N. Korean political prison population rises as cultural crackdowns intensify," Daily NK , September 12, 2025 https://www.dailynk. com/english/n-korean-political-prison-population-rises-as-cultural- crackdowns-intensify/ 158 Julian Ryall, “North Korea claims victory in ‘war on religion," DW.com , November 28, 2025 https://www.dw.com/en/north-korea-claims-victory- in-war-on-religion/a-74937436 159 “North Korea," World Watchlist , https://www.opendoorsuk.org/ persecution/world-watch-list/north-korea/ 160 “Christianity in North Korea," Crossing Borders https://www. crossingbordersnk.org/christianity-in-north-korea 161 Julian Ryall, “North Korea claims victory in ‘war on religion," DW.com , November 28, 2025 https://www.dw.com/en/north-korea-claims-victory- in-war-on-religion/a-74937436 162 “Reach the Last: Secret Christians in North Korea," TWR , January 1, 2025 https://twr.org/story/reach-the-last-secret-christians-in-north-korea 163 “Stories of North Korean Christians Highlighted in New Disappearances Report," International Christian Concern , June 10, 2025 https:// persecution.org/2025/06/10/stories-of-north-korean-christians- highlighted-in-new-disappearances-report/ 164 “Zhang Wen Shi," USCIRF , https://www.uscirf.gov/religious-prisoners- conscience/forb-victims-database/zhang-wen-shi ; Ruby Li, ‘Chinese Church Leader Zhang Wen Si Released After 11 Years of Imprisonment in North Korea," The Gospel Herald , February 9, 2026 https://english. gospelherald.com/news/chinese-church-leader-zhang-wen-si-released- after-11-years-of-imprisonment-in-north-korea 165 “Pakistan," USCIRF 2026 Annual Report , p. 40 <https://www.uscirf.gov/ sites/default/files/2026-03/USCIRF_2026_AR%20%282%29.pdf> [All below Pakistan sites accessed April 16, 2026] . 166 “Groundbreaking Educational Reform: Pakistan Introduces Inclusive Religious Education Curriculum," The White Post , January 23, 2024 https:// thewhiteposts.com/groundbreaking-educational-reform-pakistan- introduces-inclusive-religious-education-curriculum/ 167 Umaymah Suhail, “Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2025: End Child Marriage in Pakistan," The Borgen Project https://borgenproject.org/child- marriage-restraint-act/ 168 Tariq Ahmad, “Pakistan: President Grants Assent to Islamabad Child
42 | Persecuted and Forgotten?
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