A 9-year-old boy in eastern Uganda was starved, tied to a tree and burned by his father after revealing he had converted to Christianity.
According to Morning Star News, Nassif Malagara decided to become a Christian after attending a church earlier this month with a neighbour.
The pastor of the church, whose identity was not revealed by the persecution watchdog due to security issues, recalled how Nassif had remained after a church service as he wanted to receive Jesus as his Lord and Saviour.
After receiving prayer from the pastor, Nassif refused to participate in any Muslim activities, angering his father and stepmother.
After they learned of his conversion, the pair allegedly prohibited Nassif from eating even beyond the daylight fasting time of Ramadan. The boy resorted to sneaking into his neighbour's house for food, but was caught by his Muslim father, who in turn began to beat him with sticks and tied him to a banana tree.
"My father then followed me and got hold of me back to the homestead, where he tied me up to a banana tree," Nassif told Morning Star News. "He went into the house and came back with a hot piece of wood. The banana tree had dry leaves, which caught fire and caused serious burns on my body."
The boy's screams alerted neighbours, who rescued him and took him to a nearby hospital where he was treated for burns on several parts of his body.
Morning Star News reported that a relative plans to take custody of Nassif after his release from the hospital. Nassif's father was arrested and has been released on bail.
According to the East African Center for Law and Justice, the landlocked country's population is made up of around 84% Christians. Muslims, who are primarily Sunni, represent around 12% who mostly live in the eastern regions of the country.