Four Nepalese Christians imprisoned for 'witchcraft' after prayers healed mentally ill woman

Four Nepalese Christians were convicted of "witchcraft" and "violence" and were sentenced to five years' imprisonment after their prayers healed a severely mentally ill woman.

The four Christians, Lali Pun, Bimkali Budha, Ruplal Pariyar and his wife Ganga, were arrested along with Rupa Thapa on July 21, World Watch Monitor reported. Thapa was found not guilty and released after the hearing in the District Court of Salyan.

Their arrest stems from an incident in June when Seti Pariyar, a mentally ill woman, was sent by her father-in-law to a local church for healing prayer. Seti reportedly left the church before the prayer service was over and was found shouting and self-harming in a nearby forest.

After more than a month, a local businessman recounted the incident to the local media, which became the basis of a complaint against the Christians.

Rev. Mukunda Sharma, a member of the Nepal Religious Liberty Forum, heard about the case and met with the five Christians in Salyan in October to help them form an appeal. An appeal team was formed to advocate for their release. The campaign appeared to be successful at first, with local bureaucrats and politicians assuring them that the five would be freed.

The accused were apparently questioned about attempting to convert Seti at every court hearing, although it was not on the charge sheet.

Meanwhile, Seti and her husband testified that the Christians did not act forcefully or inhumanely towards her. She later said at the church that she was completely healed due to the prayers.

Local church leaders believe that the five were targeted as minority Christians. Last year, lawmakers introduced a legislation that would forbid anything that is perceived to be proselytizing or evangelizing.

The conviction came after a court dropped charges against eight Christians who were distributing pamphlets about Jesus in a Christian school.

Christianity in Nepal continues to flourish despite the risks and challenges. Christian missionaries were banned before the country became secular in 2008. Now, the country is home to 8,000 churches and more than a million converts, according to Nikkei Asian Review.