Nepal arrests foreign Christians amid crackdown on missionary activities
Detention of 10 medical volunteers follows arrest of 24 South Korean Christians, raising concerns over religious freedom and treatment of Christian minority
KATHMANDU, Nepal (MNTV) — Nepali authorities have arrested 10 foreign nationals, most of them medical professionals, over suspected Christian missionary activities during a free medical camp, marking the second major detention of foreign Christians within a month and raising concerns about growing restrictions on religious activities in the Hindu-majority country.
The detainees, including five Americans, three Brazilians and two Canadians, were arrested on Oct. 28 in Morang district in eastern Nepal, where they had been organizing a four-day medical camp for local residents.
According to local authorities, the foreign nationals entered Nepal on tourist visas and were conducting medical activities without obtaining the necessary authorization.
The group, associated with an organization called Mercy Development, had arrived in Nepal in October and was reportedly operating the health camp in cooperation with a local Protestant church.
Police detained the volunteers following complaints from local residents and transferred them to the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu for further investigation. Their travel documents were also confiscated.
Dipesh Shrestha, deputy general secretary of the National Christian Federation Nepal, said local authorities had approved the medical camp, which operated from Oct. 25 to 28.
However, he acknowledged that organizers had not obtained mandatory authorization from the Nepal Medical Council, the country’s regulatory body for medical professionals.
The arrests follow a similar operation on Oct. 9, when Nepali authorities detained 24 South Korean Christians in the same district over religious activities conducted while visiting on tourist visas.
Immigration authorities subsequently canceled their visas, imposed fines of 50,000 Nepali rupees, approximately $328, on each individual and barred them from entering Nepal for three years.
The repeated detentions have prompted criticism from Christian organizations, which argue that authorities are increasingly treating humanitarian assistance and religious activities as grounds for punitive immigration action.
Bidur Adhikari, chairman of Media Action for Advocacy Nepal, an organization advocating for Christian minority rights, warned that portraying humanitarian medical assistance as religious conversion activities could deepen mistrust and social divisions.
“Framing humanitarian medical aid as evangelism or proselytization activities fosters fear, alienation and social division,” Adhikari said.
His organization condemned what it described as the criminalization of immigration violations and warned that repeated enforcement actions were creating anxiety among Nepal’s Christian population.
The advocacy group demanded the unconditional release of the detained foreigners and the return of their travel documents.
Nepal became a secular republic in 2008 after centuries of Hindu monarchy, formally recognizing religious freedom while maintaining legal restrictions on religious conversion.
Under Nepal’s criminal laws, proselytizing and activities intended to convert people from one religion to another can carry prison sentences of up to five years and substantial fines.
Christian organizations have long expressed concern that these provisions can be used to restrict religious expression and activities associated with minority communities.
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
