Amid Iran's unrest, U.S. denying Christians entry

IRAN: The U.S. State Department is denying entry to the United States for 100 Iranian Christians invited to apply for asylum under a 27-year-old law granting persecuted religious minorities special refugee status. Nearly all are Assyrian and Armenian Christians who have families in the United States. They applied for asylum under the Lautenberg Amendment, have been approved by the The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) for refugee status, traveled to Vienna where they underwent vetting by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and have been living in shelters ever since.

Austria, reportedly footing the bill for their continued housing, is threatening to deport them, which would possibly end Lautenberg asylum cases, a designation that allowed U.S. entries for Soviet Jews, Iranian Christians, Jews, Baha’is, and others. It would also likely mean further persecution in Iran, where most have sold property and divested their assets in anticipation of protection in the United States.

State Department officials I contacted have not responded to my inquiries, but a human rights lawyer working on their cases told me it appears the Trump administration is trying to relocate them to other countries.

CHINA: On Tuesday, the FBI arrested a former CIA officer suspected of helping China dismantle U.S. spy operations. Jerry Chun Shing Lee may have contributed to the death or imprisonment of a dozen CIA contacts by the Chinese government.

SUDAN: Captured on video, police officers beat demonstrators in Khartoum protesting price hikes. The government has increased the price of wheat 233 percent, and at least two people have died in bread protests.

SYRIA: The recent shelling of a church compound in central Damascus killed seven Christians, and Christians have also been targeted in ongoing fighting in parts of Aleppo and Idlib.

BURKINA FASO: Thousands took to the streets in Djibo on Monday, calling for the release of Australian doctor Ken Elliott, abducted two years ago by a branch of al-Qaeda. For 40 years, Elliott and his wife have run a 120-bed clinic serving the poor. His abduction coincided with a January 2016 attack that killed seven Christian workers, including American Michael Riddering.

YEMEN: Houthi rebels released on Monday prominent Yemeni activist Hisham al-Omeisy after more than five months in detention. His Twitter account has documented the war that has turned Yemen into the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.