The international NGO Missão Portas Abertas, which has been monitoring cases of religious persecution against Christians around the world for 31 years, released this Tuesday (16) its annual report with updated data on the situation in the 50 countries where there is the greatest repression related to the Christian faith.
The World Persecution List, as the research is called, came from a collection carried out by the organization from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023. According to the information released, the number of Christians in situations of profound persecution exceeds 365 million, which is equivalent to one in seven worldwide. Last year, the list indicated 360 million people were persecuted.
North Korea, Somalia and Libya are the first countries in the ranking, respectively, followed by others from Africa and the Middle East. According to the Open Doors Mission, Kim Jong-un's dictatorship remains the most dangerous for Christians. Despite the decrease in reports of violence, many citizens were repatriated from China and, probably, sent to prisons and forced labor camps, a reality observed by NGO volunteers working on the Korean peninsula.
The NGO classifies countries into two categories: extreme and severe persecution. This year, two countries rose in ranking, reaching extreme levels among the most dangerous for followers of the Christian faith. They are Syria and Saudi Arabia, which occupy, respectively, the 12th and 13th positions on the list.
In Latin America, the highlights go to the dictatorships of Nicaragua, which rose 20 positions on the world map – going from 50th to 30th – as a result of the wave of repression against the Church by the Daniel Ortega regime, and Cuba, where Castro's successor, Miguel Díaz-Canel, has increased the imposition of communism on the population.
The hostility against the church by the Nicaraguan regime can be seen through restrictions on religious freedom and expression. Government critics, including many bishops, have been arrested in the country, the most emblematic case being priest Rolando Álvarez, who was expelled from the country this week and will be sent to the Vatican; Universities and other institutions linked to the church had their registrations canceled and Christian properties and media were confiscated by Daniel Ortega's regime.
Several religious leaders had their citizenship canceled and were forced into exile. Christian celebrations in public spaces were banned and the Nicaraguan dictatorship closed its embassy in Rome, Italy.
Last year, 55 countries decided to sign a joint declaration denouncing the Nicaraguan dictator's crimes at the UN, on which occasion the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, rejected the country's participation.
Countries such as the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany and France signed the document, which was even endorsed by left-wing Latin American governments such as Chile, Peru and Colombia. Chilean President Gabriel Boric, for example, highlighted Ortega's dictatorial nature at the UN, while Brazilian representatives remained silent.
At the time, according to the UOL portal, representatives of the Brazilian government even suggested changes to the final text asking for more space for dialogue with the left-wing dictatorship installed by Ortega. The proposal, however, was considered inadequate by other countries.
The general secretary of Open Doors in Brazil, Marco Cruz, relates the growth of violence and discrimination against Christianity to the current international scenario, involving conflicts in different parts of the world. “The growth of violence, wars, hunger and ethnic and religious persecution are specifically reflected in the work of Open Doors, which uses information from countries and those who effectively work and support persecuted Christians in different nations,” he stated.
Displaced Christians in Manipur
Among the highlights of the new World Watch List is the situation in Manipur, one of the states in India, where around 60,000 Christians were displaced amid political conflicts between the Meitei and Kuki ethnicities, which began in May 2023.
Acts of violence between ethnic groups have caused the deaths of approximately 160 Christians to date. In Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, other Indian states, 200 Christians from 70 families were expelled from their communities, according to the NGO.
Political and economic crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa favors persecution
The political and economic crisis in some sub-Saharan African countries contributes to the expansion of extremist activities in the region, which are often linked to the Islamic State or other terrorist groups that persecute Christianity in local communities.
According to the NGO, hundreds of homes, Christian stores and churches were targeted by jihadists during the research period. The situation was aggravated in countries where military coups took place and Christians had no space to denounce violations of Human Rights and religious freedom.
Portas Abertas denounces that the lack of freedom was intensified with the purchase of surveillance and monitoring technology, and the presence of the Wagner group which, after being expelled from Russia, intensified its mercenary activities in Africa.
It is estimated that, of the 34.5 million displaced people in Sub-Saharan Africa, 16.2 million are Christians. They struggle to survive without food, housing and basic hygiene and health care. During the research period, between October 2022 and September 2023, more than 14 thousand churches in the region were attacked or closed, a number seven times higher than that presented in the previous list.
Syria and Saudi Arabia in focus in the Middle East
These two countries moved up a category on this year's World Watch List, moving from severe to extreme persecution. Saudi Arabia, despite a national speech defending religious freedom, has seen an increase in violence against Christians in the country.
Syria was marked by an earthquake that hit the country in February 2023 and contributed to many Christians, who were already living in a precarious situation, moving or leaving the territory. The destruction and takeover of historic churches by the extremist group Hayʾat Taḥrīr al-Shām was also responsible for the migration of Christian adherents.
China has record number of churches closed
China topped the list of countries with the highest number of closed churches, with at least 10,000 incidents in this regard. The year was marked by episodes
of pastors being detained and taken to interrogation, without being able to have contact with lawyers and family members.
Christians also suffered repression in schools, where they were questioned, in reports, about religious practices at home.
Algeria is another country where persecution has been strong in the last year. According to the NGO Open Doors, only four of the 46 churches affiliated with the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA, for its French acronym) are open throughout the territory.
Attacks against Christians grow
According to Missão Portas Abertas, there was a seven-fold increase in reports of attacks on Christian churches, schools and hospitals. Last year 2,110 cases were reported, while in this report there were 14,766.
The number of followers of the Christian faith beaten or threatened also increased from 29,411 in the 2023 list to 42,849. Attacks on Christian homes and communities increased by 371% compared to 2023, from 4,547 to 21,431.
Christians forced to abandon their homes or go into hiding more than doubled, reaching 278,716 cases, which contrasts with 124,310 last year.
Despite North Korea being the most repressive country against the Christian faith, Nigeria remains in the lead among the most violent countries for Christians to live in, with the largest number of Christian adherents murdered and kidnapped for professing the faith.
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