Police in Sudan arrested 37 young Christians and demolished their church during a raid on Thursday.
Officers arrived at the evangelical church in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, at 6am. Some began to demolish the outer walls others arrested the young people praying inside.
According to the website Christian Today 22 young people were taken to criminal courts and fined for causing a public disturbance and obstructing officials. The remaining 15 were acquitted.
The church’s minister, Pastor Yahya Abdelrahim Falo, told Radio Dabanga that the attack was an infringement of Christian “sanctities” and a humiliation of all Sudanese Christians.
His church was targeted in November, when its youth house was destroyed.
The attack marks an escalation of violence against Christians in the increasingly Islamised country, which under President Omar al-Bashir has already outlawed the construction of new churches. Apostasy is punishable by death under the government's Shariah law. Many Christians have left for South Sudan since secession in 2011.
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