Pyongyang once again heads the ranking of the most dangerous countries for Christians prepared by the international NGO. India is the country with the highest number of recorded arrests: 1,750 in one year. The expansion of the “Chinese model” in the subordination of religious freedom to “stability and security” is worrying. In the world, 1 in 7 Christians lives in a country where discrimination is high; they killed 5,621 Christians in twelve months.
Milan () – There are more than 360 million Christians in the world (1 in 7) who are victims of at least a high level of persecution and discrimination in their own country because of their faith. Asia and the Middle East, together with Africa, appear at the head of this sad ranking, according to the data presented in the 2023 annual report of the international NGO Open Doors, published today, which analyzes the violations of religious freedom registered in the world between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022.
The report brings together numerous news items from different sources – including those published by – and each year it ranks the countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian. In absolute terms, during the period under review, 5,621 Christians were reportedly killed for faith-related causes worldwide (15 per day), 4,542 Christians were arrested, 5,259 kidnapped, and 2,110 churches and churches were attacked. Christian buildings. But the study also takes into account other indicators of persecution such as ideological oppression, Islamic fundamentalism and various forms of religious nationalism.
North Korea is by far the country in the world where the situation is most serious. In the period of time examined, the highest number of persecutions recorded in the thirty years of the Open Doors report was recorded. Indeed, the entry into force of the Law Against Reactionary Thought determined the increase in the arrests of Christians and the discovery and consequent closure of a greater number of hidden churches. Being detained means facing execution or imprisonment in camps for political prisoners, where inmates can starve and suffer torture and abuse of all kinds, including sexual. The law makes it a crime to publish in North Korea any material of foreign origin and is also used to motivate the search and seizure of Bibles and Christian material, whether printed or electronic. The text quotes the testimony of Timothy Cho, a North Korean refugee who fled his country: “Christians have always been the main target of the regime’s attacks. The goal is to wipe out all the Christians in the country. Only one god is allowed in North Korea: the Kim family.”
Among the top ten countries in the world where, according to Open Doors, it is most dangerous to be a Christian – considering Asia and the Middle East – are Yemen in third place, Pakistan in seventh, Iran in eighth and Afghanistan in ninth. In the latter country -paradoxically- the parameters on the basis of which Open Doors draws up its ranking -which also considers the number of registered violence- show an improvement that, however, is only apparent. It is mainly due to the fact that the Taliban declare that the presence of Christians has been totally eradicated and the few that remain live in hiding.
India, ranked 11th, remains among the countries where persecution is defined as “extreme”. In the reporting period, New Delhi recorded a record number of arrests of Christians without trial on grounds related to their faith (1,750).
With regard to China – which occupies the sixteenth place among the countries where the persecution against Christians is strongest – the report indicates that it is worrying that it is becoming a “model” for many countries when it comes to redefining downward the human rights standards. “Using words like ‘stability’ and ‘security’ – he observes – the autocrats exert enormous pressure on ecclesiastical referents in response to their persistent demands for respect for human rights, the free participation of civil society, the rule of law and the transparency of the elections. Those who refuse to support the ruling party may be branded as ‘rioters’, ‘disturbers of the peace’ or even ‘terrorists’.”
Finally, the report indicates the increase in the persecution dynamics in Myanmar due to the number of people forced to leave their homes, hide or flee the country (more than 100,000), due to the number of houses, shops and Christian properties destroyed or attacked ( more than 1,000), and by the number of churches and Christian buildings attacked, a sign that the authoritarian turn of the military junta has targeted some minorities that are considered disturbing for the simple fact of professing the Christian faith.
