In the mid-twentieth century, there were no Christians at all in Nepal. Now their official number is approaching 400,000, and some Christian leaders in Nepal believe the actual number of Christians in the country is 2.3 million.
For more ChristianPersecution.com coverage of the persecution of Christians in Nepal, see here.
“Nepalese Pastor Denied Appeal, Faces One Year in Prison for Alleged Forced Conversions,” International Christian Concern, October 10, 2023:
10/10/2023 Nepal (International Christian Concern) – In Nepal, Pastor Keshav Raj Acharya will spend one year in prison for alleged forced conversion activities after his court appeal was denied last week.
Keshav was arrested multiple times between 2020 and 2021 for the alleged conversion of Hindus to Christianity. On Nov. 30, 2021, he was sentenced to two years in prison for alleged forced conversion. That sentence was reduced in June 2022 to one year, which was appealed by Keshav’s lawyer and ultimately denied last week.
The crux of Keshav’s defense centered around the argument that carrying religious materials and being asked to share his faith does not equate to forced conversion. He contended that these actions should be protected under Nepal’s Constitution, which upholds freedom of religion. However, the court dismissed his logic, raising questions about the compatibility of the Nepalese legal system with the principles of religious freedom. This case highlights the flaws in legal systems that supposedly protect freedom of religion yet have anti-conversion laws.
International Christian Concern (ICC) sources have reported an increase in violence and harassment against Christians in Nepal….
