Thai Woman Gets 43 Years For Sharing Criticism of Monarchy

Accused of criticizing the royal family, authorities sentenced a Thai woman to 43 years in prison, the harshest sentence ever for insulting the monarchy in this country.

Former US Presidential Spiritual Advisor Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison

The former Houston megachurch pastor, Kirbyjon Caldwell, was once a spiritual adviser to presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The pastor was a frequent visitor to the White House during the George W. Bush administration and even officiated Jenna Bush's wedding.

In Louisiana, authorities sentenced Caldwell to six years in federal prison for defrauding more than two dozen people out of millions of dollars by selling worthless Chinese bonds.

LGBT Virgin Mary Declared Blasphemous in Poland

Three female Polish activists are on trial, facing two years in prison for offending religious feelings. They created an image of the Virgin Mary, Poland's sacred icon, wearing a rainbow halo.

The indictment follows an incident in April 2019, when posters and stickers bearing a rainbow-haloed version of the Black Madonna appeared near a church in Płock, a city in central Poland.The doctored image traded the golden halos around the Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus with representations of a rainbow flag, a common symbol of the LGBT community.

Indian Muslim Comedian Munawar Faruqui Jailed Despite No Evidence of Blasp…

According to his friends, Munawar Faruqui was "shaken" with a foreboding that something might happen after the video of his April 2020 performance, which led to FIRs against Faruqui, and hashtags trended on social media demanding his arrest.

Munawar Faruqui was detained following a complaint by members of a right-wing vigilante group in India. He was denied bail twice despite officials saying they had no video evidence of him "insulting" Hindu deities.

50-Year-Old Indian Woman Gang-Raped, Allegedly Murdered by Priest

A 50-year-old Indian woman was allegedly gang-raped and murdered by three men, including a temple priest, inside a temple in the village of Budaun, Uttar Pradesh. According to police, the woman had sustained horrific injuries, especially to her genitals.

Man Claims Jesus Told Him To Cause Fatal Crash To Save Infant Son

On January 9, 2021, A Kentucky man with his infant son in his lap caused a fatal head-on collision while allegedly under the influence of alcohol.

The citation was filed by a Kentucky State Police trooper investigating the wreck, officer Jason Warinner. The officer said the 30-year-old driver, Jesse Brown, reported that he heard Jesus tell him to steer into oncoming traffic if he wanted to save his infant son, Dalton.

Twitter Deletes Chinese embassy's Uyghur 'Emancipation' Tweet

Uighur people live in northwestern China's Xinjiang province and are mostly a Muslim minority group. In June, the Associated Press (AP) found that the Chinese government mandates inhumane birth control measures on ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.

According to the scholar Adrian Zenz, population growth in Xinjiang has declined dramatically in recent years. Growth rates in the two largest Uighur prefectures have fallen by 84% between 2015 and 2018 and continued further decline in 2019.

3 Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy in Pakistan

In Pakistan, an anti-terrorism court sentenced three people to death for social media posts insulting the Prophet Muhammad under the country’s blasphemy laws.

Indian Comedian Arrested on Accusations of Blasphemy

According to police, a Mumbai-based comedian, Munawar Faruqui, is alleged to have "mocked Hindu gods and goddesses" during his show. The Madhya Pradesh Police arrested and booked the comedian for alleged derogatory comments about Hindu deities on Saturday, January 1, 2021, NDTV reported. Authorities also allege the Monroe Cafe organizers presented the New Year's Day comedy event "without permission" from the city of Indore.