Five-Year Prison Sentence for Christian Couple in India

A Christian couple has been sentenced to five years in prison on charges of attempting to convert Hindus to Christianity.

Christians around the world, particularly in Muslim-majority countries, face severe persecution. However, this persecution is not limited to attacks by religious extremists alone, as Hindu Christians are also not exempt from such treatment.

According to reports published by the Christian Solidarity Worldwide organization (CSW), a Christian couple in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India has been sentenced to five years in prison and fined 25,000 rupees under the state’s anti-conversion law, on charges of attempting to convert Hindus to Christianity.

The Christian couple, named Jose and Shija Papaachan, were arrested in January 2023. Chandrika Prasad Apadhyay, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and a representative in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, accused them of planning to persuade vulnerable members of the community to convert from Hinduism to Christianity.

The CSW organization also stated in this regard: “The couple says their objective was to provide education and awareness, and they were held in detention for 8 months prior to their trial.”

Merwin Thomas, founder of the CSW organization, released a statement regarding this conviction and said: “CSW is deeply concerned about the systematic harassment and persecution that Christians face in India. This couple has been targeted by discriminatory laws merely for exercising their fundamental rights and adhering to their religious beliefs. CSW calls on Indian authorities to objectively examine this matter and not be influenced by the rhetoric of religious extremists that has created divisions within Indian society.”