A REPORT ON CHRISTIANS OPPRESSED FOR THEIR FAITH 2024—2026
A REPORT ON CHRISTIANS OPPRESSED FOR THEIR FAITH 2024— 2026
CONTENTS
Foreword
03
The Voice of My Brother Lives On by Peter Bhatti Countries Overview ( map )
04
Main Findings Country Pro fi les
06
12 12 13 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 33 35 36 37 38
Country profile 1: Burkina Faso Country profile 2: Burma (Myanmar)
Country profile 3: China
Case Study 1 (China): His Crime — Selling Hymn Books
Country profile 4: Egypt
Case Study 2 (Egypt): Abducted, Converted and Kept from Her Family
Country profile 5: Eritrea Country profile 6: India
Case Study 3 (India): Denied Dignified Burial
Country profile 7: Iran Country profile 8: Iraq Country profile 9: Mali
Country profile 10: Mozambique Country profile 11: Nicaragua
Case Study 4 (Nicaragua): Top Catholic Bishop Expelled Case Study 5 (Nigeria): From Sanctuary to Slaughter
Country profile 12: Nigeria Country profile 13: North Korea Country profile 14: Pakistan
Case Study 6 (Pakistan): Tortured with Nails — All for a Mobile Phone
Country profile 15: Sudan Country profile 16: Syria Country profile 17: Turkey Country profile 18: Vietnam
Endnotes
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Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith 2024-26 Published by Aid to the Church in Need, 12-14 Benhill Avenue, Sutton, Surrey SM1 4DA, UK. | Tel: 0345 646 0110 | Email: acn@acnuk.org All photos © Aid to the Church in Need except pp. 7, 15, 17, 21, 22, 27, 31, 37, 38 via Pexels; p. 10 via Radio Veritas Mandalay; p. 26 via Unsplash; pp. 6-7, 20, 35, back cover © Ismael Martínez Sánchez / ACN; p. 11 © Cristian Gennari; p. 13 used under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en); p. 30 used under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en). Texts by John Newton, John Pontifex, Elliott Banks and Nathalie Raffray. Special thanks to Tony Smith and Steve Riedlinger. Thanks also to all who have helped this project in any way, including Peter Bhatti, the late Ernie Chan, Errol Palmer and Marta Petrosillo. Designed by Helen Anderson | Printed in the UK by Cliffe Enterprise, Eastbourne BN22 8UY. ISBN 978-1-907541-06-3. ACN is a Pontifical Foundation of the Catholic Church and is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donations to ACN are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable under the law. EIN# 86-1089466.
THE VOICE OF MY BROTHER LIVES ON
By Peter Bhatti
The news of my brother Shahbaz Bhatti’s assassination changed my life forever. It was a moment of profound sorrow and unimaginable loss. While our family mourned the loss of a beloved brother, Pakistan lost a courageous leader whose unwavering commitment to justice, human rights, and religious freedom inspired countless people around the world. Shahbaz served as Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs and was the only Christian member of the federal cabinet. A tireless advocate for the oppressed, he courageously defended Asia Bibi, the first Christian woman sentenced to death under Pakistan’s blasphemy Minister for Minorities Affairs and was the only Christian ss advocate for the oppressed, he courageously defended tenced to death under Pakistan’s blasphemy on that has too often been misused d stand brought repeated death threats laws, and called for reforms to legislation that has too often been misused against innocent people. His principled stand brought repeated death threats from extremists. On March 2, 2011, as Shahbaz traveled from our mother’s home in Islamabad, gunmen ambushed his vehicle. They fired 26 bullets, killing him, and left behind pamphlets claiming responsibility for the attack. from our mother’s home in icle. They fired 26 bullets, killing ng responsibility for the attack.
His body was laid to rest in our native village of Khushpur, but his voice was not buried with him. His legacy continues to inspire those who defend persecuted Christians around the world including children facing discrimination, churches attacked because of their faith, families denied basic human dignity, and Christian girls who are abducted, forcibly converted, and abused. village of Khushpur, but egacy continues to inspire ns around the world including es attacked because of their nity, and Christian girls who abused. This year marks the 15 th anniversary of Shahbaz’s martyrdom. It also marks the 10 th anniversary of Aid to the Church in Need’s #RedWednesday campaign, which has united Christians worldwide in prayer, solidarity, and advocacy for those who suffer because of their faith. Shahbaz’s martyrdom. d to the Church which has solidarity, and of their faith.
Like Shahbaz, Aid to the Church in Need’s Persecuted and Forgotten? report gives a voice to the suffering Church. By sharing these stories, it reminds us that religious persecution remains a painful reality for millions of Christians today. Shortly before his assassination, Shahbaz said, “I believe in Jesus Christ, who has given His own life for us, and I am ready to die for a cause.” He remained faithful to those words until his final breath. baz said, n His own use.” ntil d’s a voice se stories, n remains ns today.
As we reflect on his witness, let us ask ourselves: What are we willing to do for our persecuted brothers and sisters? r
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COUNTRIES OVERVIEW Persecuted and Forgotten? examines the challenges facing Christians in 18 countries. These are not necessarily the 18 most dangerous places in which to live if you are a Christian, but rather those countries in which the situation of the faithful has been of particular concern during the period under review. ACN (UK) has drawn on a number of sources including publicly available data and information from the local Church. While drawing on quantitative analyses (e.g., the Pew Research Center’s Social Hostilities Index), ultimately Persecuted and Forgotten? represents a qualitative analysis of the available data.
EGYPT
Restrictions on property ownership and the training of clergy remain unresolved, with sporadic attacks against Christian communities continuing. See p. 37. TURKEY
SYRIA
Despite positive state overtures to religious communities, Christian women continue to be abducted, new church sites remain a magnet for violence, and Christians still struggle for full equality in all aspects of society. See p. 16.
Although President Al-Sharaa’s transitional government assured Christians their rights would be recognized, evidence shows violence against Christians rose markedly and their numbers declined. See p. 36 .
MALI
The government expanded its crackdown on Christian groups. It has arbitrarily arrested, imprisoned and exiled Christian leaders and others. See p. 26. NICARAGUA Mali now ranks fifth globally for terrorist activity. Christians in areas under Islamist occupation face oppression including church burnings and religious taxes. Christians experience such severe persecution they are unable to live in many areas under jihadist rule. See p. 24.
BURKINA FASO
One of the main epicenters of Islamist violence in the Sahel, jihadist groups control at least 40 percent of the country, imposing extremist Islam. Christians have been targeted in the campaign to impose Islamist ideology. See p. 12.
NIGERIA
Christians in the northeast faced increased persecution including murders, abductions, and destruction of churches by jihadists. Attacks included beheadings and the forced displacement of thousands of Christians. See p. 25. MOZAMBIQUE
Christians have been targeted for mass attacks, killings and abductions as part of extremist violence. Increased attacks on mostly Christian settlements across the Middle Belt have contributed to more than 3.5 million IDPs across Nigeria. See p. 28.
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PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS COMPARED WITH 2022—2024
= Better
= Slightly worse
= Slightly better
= Worse
= No change
IRAQ
Christians experienced severe repression: house churches were raided, and the arrests and detentions of Christians increased. Christians have been accused of acting as “foreign agents” leading to rising persecution. See p. 22. IRAN
PAKISTAN
INDIA
Although Kurdistan provides a safe haven for many Christians, incidents of harassment by militias and sporadic violence against Christian communities continued to remain a general issue. Legal discrimination persists for converts. See p. 23.
The endemic forced conversion and marriage of minority faith girls shows every sign of getting worse with courts invoking Sharia law to override protective legislation. Concerns grew about increasing blasphemy cases. See p. 32.
Hundreds of incidents of increasing anti-Christian violence saw worship disrupted, churches vandalized and physical assaults. In an atmosphere of Hindutva populism, state “anti-conversion” laws legitimize attacks. See p. 20.
Positive rhetoric and goodwill gestures from authorities still vie with the draconian imposition of intrusive laws like Decree 95. Ethnic Christian groups in the highlands continued to be persecuted harshly. See p. 38. VIETNAM “Underground” churches faced “intensified” persecution, and new government regulations tightened state control of religious material such as the September 2025 Code of Conduct for Religious Teachers and Personnel. See p. 14. CHINA Repression of religion is integral to the state and Christians live out their faith in extreme secrecy, with reports that people even keep their beliefs hidden from their spouses. Believers make up a large number of those in prisons and labor camps. See p. 30. NORTH KOREA
ERITREA
BURMA (MYANMAR)
SUDAN
In the midst of civil war, Sudan is enduring the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, bordering on “genocide," where persecution of Christians is increasing: churches attacked, priests tortured and Christians pressured to convert. See p. 34.
While in the last few months under examination Christians were released and there were no new mass arrests, nevertheless the general picture has remained one of consistent intrusive interference in religious life. See p. 18.
The military junta continues to commit serious human rights violations including attacks on religious sites — with claims 300+ churches have been laid waste. Some ministers of religion have been kidnapped or even killed. See p. 13.
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PERSECUTED AND FORGOTTEN?
Main Findings
A funeral in Bihar State, India.
Standing close to the spot where his ordeal began, not far from the northern Nigerian city of Zaria, Christian man Solomon Ako, 33, told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) what happened when militants descended on his village in northern Nigeria and kidnapped him. His voice quaking with emotion, Solomon explained how he and other hostages were held for hours at a time up to their necks in cold water. Solomon’s story is one of countless accounts recorded by ACN as the charity assessed the scale of human rights violations against Christians. Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith 2024-26 provides firsthand testimony, case studies, country, regional, and global analysis investigating the extent to which Christians are targeted around the world. Even before the two-year period covered in this report, there were signs that the oppression of Christians was increasing. The latest data from Pew Research Center indicates that anti-Christian harassment ranging from verbal abuse to killings occurred in 165 countries in 2023, up from 160 in 2021. 1 By this measure, Christians suffered harassment in more countries than any other group, with the gap between Christians and other faiths widening at a time when the harassment of religious groups was already at an all- time high. Speaking at the United Nations in Geneva in March 2026, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer, said “Christians are subjected “They immediately asked us to convert and, when we refused, they started beating us. They fl ogged us with whips. Our legs were put in chains. Shackles [were] placed round our ankles.”
to physical violence, subjugation, false detention, the expropriation of their property, enslavement, forced exile and even murder because of their religious beliefs.” According to research by ACN, around 220 million Christians are directly exposed to persecution, which encompasses the sort of violations described above by the archbishop. This edition of Persecuted and Forgotten? assesses the situation in 18 countries where religious freedom violations against Christians are of particular concern. The review period ran from August 1, 2024 to June 30, 2026 and assessed whether the religious freedom landscape for Christians had worsened since 2022-24. Persecuted and Forgotten? 2024-26 found that in just over half (56 percent) of the countries surveyed, oppression against Christians had worsened since the last report. In many, if not most cases, this deterioration affected specific regions rather than entire countries. The report uncovered factors which explain why persecution and oppression have worsened not only in individual countries but across continents.
Global findings The report’s global findings are as follows:
Oppression of Christians by authoritarian regimes has grown to unprecedented levels in countries with global or regional influence where anti-West sentiment has surged. • In China, repression has intensified as authorities aligned religious doctrine more closely with communist principles causing mass detentions, jailing clergy on legal technicalities, closing churches and controlling online religious content. • In Iran, arrests of Christians doubled within 12 months as crackdowns intensified. • In Nicaragua, the regime increased its crackdown on Christians, arresting and exiling clergy, preventing ordinations, seizing Church institutions and preventing people from entering the country with Bibles.
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Christians have been increasingly branded “unwanted aliens” in countries where religio- nationalism is to blame for increasing oppression, violent incidents and the weaponization of legislation against minorities. • In India, an increase in states adopting “anti- conversion” laws was linked to a rise in attacks on Christians — with reports of extremists burning Christmas decorations, and Christians being prevented from burying their dead or even being forced to exhume the bodies of loved ones. • In Pakistan, increasingly influential Islamist groups framed minorities as a demographic threat, resulting in endemic abuse of Christian minorities, notably girls and young women forced to convert and marry. Christians from coast to coast across Sub-Saharan Africa are at risk amid the worst hyper-extremist attacks since the height of the Daesh (ISIS) violence in the Middle East. • Six of the top 10 countries in the 2026 Global Terrorism Index were in Africa (see pg. 8), with the threat having spread from Africa’s east coast to its western shores. 2 • In Mozambique, Islamist militants openly declared their intent to establish a caliphate with reports of more than 2 ,000 Christians killed in Cabo Delgado since 2017 — beheadings, kidnapping of children as well as churches and homes torched. • In Burkina Faso, amid reports that at least 40 percent of the country is controlled by Islamists, some Christians have been forced to follow Islamist customs including dress code, while others were summarily executed. Millions of Christians are part of a mass exodus of those displaced in conflict zones, some of it religiously motivated. This has spread, turning entire swathes of countries in Africa and Asia into danger zones. • In Nigeria, at least 1 million Christians were among the more than 3.5 million internally displaced as
A garden is tended on the grounds of this ruined church in Vietnam.
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The Church of the Immaculate Conception in Mocímboa da Praia, Mozambique was destroyed by jihadists in June 2020.
entire communities fled towns and villages amid exponential violence, especially in the north/Middle Belt. Bandits, ethnic groups and jihadists have attacked Christian and other faith groups, prompting criticism of the government for its failure to uphold the rule of law. • In Sudan, accusations of war crimes and brutal Islamist oppression have been reported as the country faces the world’s largest displacement crisis. After more than three years, the civil war has so far resulted in the damage or destruction of more than 100 churches. A global context marked by conflict and political upheaval in the Middle East has heightened fears for the survival of Christianity in core parts of its ancient heartland. • In Syria, at a time of continued upheaval, following the downfall of the Assad regime, leading clerics publicly warned of a possible existential threat to the Church amid reports its Christian population had declined by more than 80 percent since 2011.
•
In southern Lebanon, attacks caused a mass exodus of people and destruction of Church properties, causing Christian communities to become ghost towns.
Africa Christian persecution in Africa has increased — with six of the 10 countries most affected by terrorism in the Global Terrorism Index 2026 found on the continent. Burkina Faso (2 nd ), Niger (3 rd ), Nigeria (4 th ), Mali (5 th ), Somalia (7 th ), and Democratic Republic of Congo (8 th ) indicate that the Sahel region is now at the epicenter, signaling a geographical shift and a concerning trend in global terrorism. Cameroon and Mozambique are also in the top 20. 3 Christian communities in these countries have been disproportionately impacted, as they are for the most part targeted by jihadist groups or caught in broader patterns of sectarian and communal violence. The countries most affected — especially Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger — contain significant Christian populations, often living alongside Muslim majorities. Groups linked to Islamic State and
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Msepera Ujam with her child in an IDP camp in Guma, Nigeria. Extremist Fulani herdsmen killed her husband and smeared his blood all over her body “as a warning."
Jihadists destroyed the icon of Jesus and St. Mary in St. George’s Melkite Church when they seized the Syrian shrine town of Maaloula.
Al-Qaeda affiliates (such as JNIM) have expanded rapidly across the Sahel and surrounding regions. These groups operate across borders, making them difficult to contain and increasing the regional spread of violence. In fragile states where governance is weak, extremist groups exploit religious divisions to advance their agendas. 4 In regions such as northern Nigeria and the central Sahel, terrorist groups have attacked churches, clergy, and Christian villages. Kidnappings, murders, and beheadings are not uncommon. This has contributed to the perception — and often the reality — of Christians being specifically vulnerable within a wider conflict environment. Terrorist violence has driven millions from their homes and Christian communities, particularly those in rural or border regions, have experienced displacement, loss of livelihoods, and destruction of religious infrastructure, including churches and schools. Persistent attacks undermine the ability of Christians to worship safely and engender fears that violence and displacement could lead to long-term changes in the religious composition of affected regions. 5
Many terrorist attacks are tied to local grievances, including ethnic or communal disputes, which extremists exploit to recruit fighters and expand their influence. 6 Middle East Conflict dominated the region as the ramifications of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel continued to reverberate. Israeli operations in Gaza killed or displaced thousands, with the Holy Family and Saint Porphyrius churches serving as sanctuaries for those Christians fleeing the violence. 7 The conflict also spread into Lebanon following Israeli strikes on the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. The tensions in the region were further inflamed by the US-Iran War in February 2026. 8 In Syria, the long-running civil war ended with the defeat of Bashar Al-Assad, and the installation of the former Islamist Jihadist commander from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Ahmed Hussein Al-Sharaa as president. In the aftermath of Assad’s downfall, attacks against minority communities increased, especially the Alawites and Druze minorities. Christians have
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been targeted, with a devastating suicide attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus that left 23 dead, and 65 injured. 9 It was the largest single attack on Christians since the 1860 Damascus Massacre. 10 So far, it has been difficult to ascertain the impact of these acts of violence on the Christian community in Syria as a whole. 11 Islamist militias and non-state actors remain a malign influence in the region, harassing and attacking minority Christian communities. Some progress has been made in disarming militias, particularly in Iraq, where two of the most powerful Shi’a groups in the Popular Mobilization Force (PMF) have said they will hand their weapons over to the state. 12 However, from Lebanon to Iraq, and Syria, militias continue to play a destabilizing role in the Middle East. Conflict also renewed fears among Christian communities about whether their future in the region is sustainable. Israeli operations against Hezbollah have emptied Christian towns along the Israel-Lebanon border. At least one million people have been displaced across Lebanon. 13 Iran’s latest attack on US bases in Iraq near Erbil’s Christian quarter has also raised fears of a new exodus, with Church leaders questioning whether Christian families will remain amid the violence. 14 Legal and administrative restrictions against Christians continue across much of the region. In Egypt, home to the Middle East’s largest Christian community, reports continued of Christian women and girls being kidnapped for forced conversion and marriage. At the same time, the authorities have taken some positive steps to allow Christians to renovate and build churches although these measures have not been applied consistently. 15 Conversely, in Turkey, Christians continue to face sustained pressure through legal and administrative restrictions. Turkish authorities have made it difficult to build new churches, reflecting a wider pattern of state-led suppression carried out through legalistic means rather than overt violence. Overall, conflict and instability continue to be a significant threat to the Christian presence in the Middle East, which could lead to further displacement of Christian communities.
new laws allow tighter control over online religious content. Vietnam presents a more mixed picture: the older Communist patterns of restrictive control are still present, but vie with the view that religious freedom has constructive value within a socialist society. Nevertheless, ethnic Christian communities in the highlands still face harsh persecution. China and Vietnam both regulate the appointment of leaders in registered religious groups. In India, nationalism rather than communism has led to authoritarianism entering the religious sphere. Despite increasingly restrictive legislation (e.g., “anti-conversion laws”), the biggest problem remains social hostility. India saw over 700 incidents of anti-Christian violence in 2025, driven in part by rhetoric from Hindutva nationalist groups stressing that growing minority groups have diminished the Hindu population. In Pakistan, groups such as Tehreek-e-Labbaik also frame minorities as a demographic threat, helping drive abuses including the abduction, forced conversion and marriage of girls and young women. In both countries, Christians and other religious minorities face attacks ranging from physical assaults to disruption of worship. Recent incidents apparently indicate a pattern of church buildings being specifically targeted as part of hostilities against Christians. In Pakistan’s Punjab Province, in January 2026, the church in Ghanekey village had its cross desecrated, and Bibles and hymn books torn up. 16 In India, state authorities have been implicated in attempts to destroy churches. In June 2025 Maharashtra State government announced plans to demolish churches 17 it considered to be “unauthorized.” Shiloh Church of Christ in Pune was marked for demolition in April 2026. 18 Similarly, church buildings have been targeted during attacks on believers in Laos, 19 and in Burma (Myanmar) the junta has bombed places of worship as part of its campaign against those opposing its rule.
Asia State authoritarianism continues to threaten
religious freedom in parts of Asia, driving repression, discrimination and persecution. In North Korea and China, Christianity is not infrequently seen as a harmful Western influence threatening national cohesion. In North Korea basic Christian activities, such as possessing a Bible or participating in worship, can lead to arrest. Estimates suggest Christians represent a significant proportion of the up to 190,000 prisoners thought to be held in jail or labor camps. In China, repression escalated as authorities sought to align doctrine with Communist Party principles. There are reports of mass detentions, clerics jailed on legal technicalities and closure of places of worship, while
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Conclusion Receiving an ACN delegation in October 2025, Pope Leo XIV declared that religious freedom is “a cornerstone of any just society for it safeguards the moral space in which conscience may be informed and exercised." 20 The Pontiff went further, stating: “Religious freedom, therefore, is not merely a legal right or a privilege granted to us by governments; it is a foundational condition that makes reconciliation possible.” The fundamental precepts of religious freedom are set out in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document the Pope hailed in his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas as “one of the highest expressions of human conscience of our time." 21 Article 18 guarantees the right to religious freedom — and to manifest your beliefs either alone or in community, in private or public, through worship, teaching and observance. 22 The evidence cited in Persecuted and Forgotten? 2024- 26 demonstrates not only that Article 18 is ignored in many parts of the world but that many of the worst violations are against Christians. Indeed, the scale and severity of Christian persecution today amounts to a human rights catastrophe, one that is worsening in many places. That this should come as a surprise to so many reflects the prevailing view in the West which presumes that most Christians are to be found in the northern hemisphere where their faith is accepted — or even part of the culture — and where there are no significant obstacles to its practice. The reality, however, is that most Christians live in the less wealthy global south and are scattered widely in cultures increasingly hostile to them. Amid a rise in nationalism, extremism and anti-Western sentiment they are frequently seen as unwanted aliens in their own countries. Rarely is religious animosity the sole driver of acts of hatred toward Christians. Mostly it forms part of a matrix of factors which can include ethnicity, access to resources, poverty and politics. The lack of religious literacy in the West is such that anti-Christian animus is frequently downplayed in favor of other factors. Hence a skewed understanding of the human rights context often exacerbates an already critical situation for persecuted Christians. ACN remains committed to religious freedom and helping persecuted Christians. Solomon Ako, the man from northern Nigeria kidnapped and repeatedly assaulted after he refused to abandon his Christian faith, told ACN that in the depths of his suffering what kept him strong was knowing that there were people around the world, praying for him, speaking up and advocating his cause. He said: “Every night when our kidnappers were asleep, we prayed. We prayed knowing that we were not alone, that there were people like you who would never abandon us. That was what kept us strong then and that is what keeps us strong now.”
Lef t: The Church of the Assumption, built in 1894, was destroyed by the Burmese junta in January 2023. The historic church in Chan Thar was significant to the Catholic community: Archbishop Joseph U Win, the very first indigenous bishop had been baptized there as a child at the turn of the twentieth century, and numerous priests and nuns were nurtured in their faith there as they grew up. Above: Pope Leo XIV praying the Regina Cæli in St. Peter’s Square on May 11, 2025, just days after he was elected.
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BURKINA FASO COUNTRY PROFILE
In 2026, Burkina Faso was ranked second in the Global Terrorism Index, having held first or second place since 2023. 23 Once considered a model of interreligious harmony in West Africa, it has sharply deteriorated since Islamist attacks began in 2015. Initially infiltrating the north from neighboring Mali, extremist groups linked to transnational jihadi networks — including the local Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal- Muslimin (JNIM) — have extended their presence to every region except the south. The Islamists are also involved with organized crime, such as drug trafficking, smuggling and illegal mining. 24 Now one of the main epicenters of jihadist violence in the Sahel, militant groups control at least 40 percent of the country, 25 mostly in rural areas. They often coerce villagers to follow Islamic customs, making women veil their faces in public and men grow beards. Those who refuse are
expelled or even publicly executed. Where insurgents allow Christians to practice their faith, this is restricted to inside churches, and it cannot be taught to children. 26 A local source told ACN: “Sometimes the Christians are permitted to pray, but just as quickly they can be subjected to abuse, to make them flee.” 27 Islamist violence has targeted both military and civilian populations, including religious communities. 28 As part of the jihadists’ attempt to impose their own extremist ideology, Christians have been consistently singled out, with churches attacked and believers summarily executed. It is very difficult to provide reliable figures, but between May and August 2024, around 100 Christians were reported killed in the Zekuy-Doumbala pastoral region. 29 While Christians are not the only group to suffer, nevertheless the Islamist terrorists display a clear animus against the faith. was traveling on two motorcycles: those on the first motorcycle fled into the forest, but the two on the second were murdered. AUGUST 2025 Women in a parish in Pibaoré formed a human shield to protect their priest, after he was attacked during Mass. Bishop Théophile Naré of Kaya said “This heroic act was not picked up by the media, but it remains an important symbol of faith and solidarity." 30 OCTOBER 2025 A catechist from Kouala commune in Fada N’Gourma Diocese was kidnapped during Mass on Sunday, October 5. A local source told ACN: “He was specifically targeted. The goal is to spread fear among the Christians.” He was subsequently released. 31
SELECTED INCIDENTS
AUGUST 2024 On Sunday, August 25, JNIM extremists killed 26 men from Sanaba village in Nouna Diocese. Insurgents separated out all males over 12 years who were Christians (Catholics and Protestants), practitioners of traditional religions or those thought hostile to jihadist ideology. They were taken to the nearby Protestant church and their throats cut. In the following days, jihadists targeted three nearby Catholic parishes close to the border with Mali, triggering the flight of around 5,000 women and children to Nouna. JANUARY 2025 Four catechists from Ouakara parish were ambushed near Bondokuy while returning from a training session on Saturday, January 25. The group
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BURMA (MYANMAR) COUNTRY PROFILE
In February 2026, Burma entered the sixth year of the civil war that followed the military junta coup. The military continues to perpetrate serious human rights violations, including attacks on religious sites, such as the Church of the Sacred Heart — intended to be the cathedral for the new Diocese of Mindat — which was bombed in February 2025. 32 Initially such attacks seemed to echo the targeting of ethnic Christian churches that occurred under pre-2011 military rule, 33 but quickly encompassed all religious groups. Despite the military’s association with Buddhist nationalism, 34 a significant number of Buddhist places of worship have been targeted, 35 including an airstrike on Sein Yadanar Monastery in March 2025. 36 While accurate figures are difficult to obtain, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) stated that 379 religious sites were
destroyed — and 259 clerics and civilians in them killed — in 2025. 37 The Burma Research Institute estimated 343 Christian churches or buildings were attacked by junta soldiers from the start of the war until the end of 2025. 38 There is a history of discrimination against religious minorities in this predominantly Buddhist country which has fluctuated over the years. The civil war has had varied effects: in some areas Buddhist extremism has grown, elsewhere the opposite is true as the junta’s cruel treatment of the population has promoted solidarity among different groups irrespective of ethnicity or religion. In isolated incidents, ministers of religion have been kidnapped or even killed. Rev. Pau Muan Lian was seized before being forcibly conscripted in November 2025. 39
SELECTED INCIDENTS
December 20 to avoid conflicting with elections scheduled for the 28 th of the month. 41
FEBRUARY 2025 Less than a fortnight after it was chosen as the cathedral of the newly created Mindat Diocese, the Sacred Heart Church in Mindat, Chin State, was left in ruins by airstrikes. Attacks on the compound had been ongoing since the beginning of December 2024. MARCH 2025 Junta soldiers torched St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Banmaw, Kachin State, on the evening of March 16 — the day before the cathedral was scheduled to celebrate the feast of its patron saint. Over the previous weeks soldiers had destroyed other buildings in the cathedral complex including the presbytery, diocesan offices and a school. 40
FEBRUARY 2026 The World Council of Churches condemned a junta airstrike on the predominantly Christian village of Tlangkhua in Chin State on Tuesday, February 10. A missile hit near the new church building which was still under construction and most victims were members of the Mennonite Church. Among the dead were its deacon, treasurer and two youth leaders; and eleven other church members needed emergency medical treatment. 42 MARCH 2026 Politician and human-rights activist Dr. Sasa went on record, saying Christians in Chin State are second-class citizens, and experience problems accessing education and healthcare. He also highlighted historic atrocities committed by junta soldiers, including the rape of Chin Christian women. 43
DECEMBER 2025 Junta authorities ordered churches in Kachin State to hold Christmas celebrations before
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CHINA COUNTRY PROFILE
A wave of arrests of Christians started in late 2025 and continued into early 2026, targeting unregistered organizations such as the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, southwestern China. 44 Legally, Buddhism, Catholicism, Islam, Protestantism and Taoism are recognized religions, and their followers are permitted to practice under the auspices of one of the state- sanctioned "patriotic associations" which seeks to control religion in line with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) principles. But many Christians refuse to accept this. According to USCIRF: “Religious leaders and community members who refuse to submit to the CCP’s intrusive system of control face harassment, fines, detention, political re-education, forced labor, imprisonment, enforced disappearance, torture, and other abuse.” 45 Even for approved churches there are legal restrictions, such as the 2018 Regulations on Religious Affairs restrict faith activity. A growing number of provinces and religions, including Henan and Xinjiang, prohibit anyone under 18 from participating in worship. The September 2025 Online Code of Conduct for Religious Personnel made publishing religious content online without a “special license” illegal. It banned live-streaming liturgies, prayer meetings, and religious instruction for children, and online preaching on unlicensed websites. Only state-registered denominations are allowed websites. All online activity must demonstrate “support for the leadership of the Communist Party of China." 46
SELECTED INCIDENTS
OCTOBER 2025 At least 30 leading members of the underground Zion Church were seized, including its founder Rev. Jin Mingri. He was taken from his home in Beihai, Guangxi Province, on “suspicion of the illegal use of information networks." Members were also arrested in Shanghai, Beijing, Zhejiang, Guangxi, Shandong, Sichuan and Henan. The community had about 5,000 members in almost 50 cities who heard sermons via Zoom and gathered in small groups. The arrests followed the introduction of the new Online Code of Conduct for Religious Personnel. 50 Twelve members were still detained at the end of January 2026. JANUARY 2026 Authorities demolished part of the unregistered Yayang Church’s building in Wenzhou. This followed the arrest of around 100 of its members between December 13 and 18, 2025. 51 MAY 2026 Authorities arrested six Christians in Kaili City, Guizhou Province, for organizing a Sunday school and other Church activities for children. 52
DECEMBER 2024 Underground Catholic Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin of Wenzhou was fined ¥200,000 — equivalent to $27,000 — for celebrating Mass. The Friday, December 27 service for the start of the Jubilee Year of Hope, which was not "legally authorized," was attended by 200 people. In March 2025 he was detained for several days after not paying the fine. 47 MARCH 2025 China gave 15-day sentences to two members of the Wheatseed Reform Church in the eastern Anhui Province for “using cult activities to endanger society.” They refused to join the government-backed Three-Self Patriotic Movement. 48 JUNE 2025 Pastors Li Jie, Elder Han Xiaodong, and Pastor Wang Qiang from the underground Linfen Covenant Home Church in Shanxi Province received prison sentences on Friday, June 20 for “fraud” at a secret trial. 49
14 | Persecuted and Forgotten?
CASE STUDY HIS CRIME — SELLING HYMN BOOKS
Father Ma Xianshi, a senior priest in China’s state- approved Catholic Patriotic Association, was put on trial in November 2025 for selling hymn books. The hymn book in question was Tianlu Miaoyin (Heavenly Melodies). It is a legally approved publication, licensed by the Chinese Communist Party’s Zhejiang Religious Department. Tianlu Miaoyin is used throughout the provinces and municipalities of Jiangsu, Shanghai and Fujian, as well as Zhejiang. The book was being sold in a Catholic bookshop run by layman Zhuang Qiantuan in Yiwu city, Zhejiang Province. State prosecutors alleged the book was being sold illegally, as religious publications can only be distributed within faith communities. Mr. Qiantuan was also charged and pleaded guilty. Father Ma was responsible for sales as the administrator of the state church in Wenzhou Diocese.* He was appointed to run the diocese in September 2016 after the death of his Bishop Vincent Zhu Wei-Fang. Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin, the coadjutor bishop, should have automatically taken over, but state authorities doubted his loyalty to the Communist Party. Prior to Father Ma’s arrest in November 2024, he was also vice president of Zhejiang Province’s Catholic Affairs Committee. Local sources suggested Father Ma fell from favor for resisting the imposition of a government bishop in Wenzhou Diocese — which would be canonically irregular — and allegedly having met Vatican officials, without prior Communist Party permission, during a pilgrimage to Rome. His trial was originally set for July 1, 2025 at Yiwu City Court, but three days earlier, after more than 300 Catholics from Wenzhou asked to attend the proceeding, the court postponed the trial to a later date.
The trial finally took place on November 13, 2025. Catholics who registered to be present were allegedly pressured or threatened to deter them from attending. Only two registered attendees turned up: diocesan priests who were accompanied by government officials throughout the proceedings. However, a number of Catholics who had not registered in advance also attended, leading authorities to open an adjacent courtroom with live video feed so they could follow the hearing. Father Ma blessed the parishioners who turned up to support him before he left the court. Father Ma denied any wrongdoing, stating that the sale of the book was a pastoral duty. When prosecutors stated 50,000 copies had been sold generating ¥1.5 million, he stressed he had received no personal benefit from the sale. No verdict was announced until June 2026 when it emerged he had been found guilty and sentenced to 18 months in jail. But in a surprise move he was released early on July 22. Sources Andrew Law, “Father Ma, a former ‘patriotic’ administrator in the Diocese of Wenzhou, also arrested,” AsiaNews , July 11, 2025 https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Father-Ma,-a-former-patriotic- administrator-in-the-Diocese-of-Wenzhou,-also-arrested-63489.html Andrew Law “Wenzhou: Father Ma on trial for the illegal sale of church hymn books,” AsiaNews , November 14, 2025 https:// www.asianews.it/news-en/Wenzhou:-Father-Ma-on-trial-for-the- illegal-sale-of-church-hymn-books-64282.html “A Catholic Priest in Wenzhou is on Trial for Alleged ‘Illegal Sales’: Supporters Claim There Are Other Political Motives Behind the Case," China Aid , November 20, 2025 https://chinaaid.org/news/ a-catholic-priest-in-wenzhou-is-on-trial-for-alleged-illegal-sales- supporters-claim-there-are-other-political-motives-behind-the- case/ [all sites accessed 06/08/26].
* Wenzhou Diocese is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Hangzhou which roughly mirrors the borders of Zhejiang Province.
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EGYPT COUNTRY PROFILE
Families still report girls being abducted, forced to convert to Islam and coerced into marriage — particularly in Upper Egypt. Islamic institutions, including Al-Azhar, 53 and police have been accused of complicity. Comprehensive figures are hard to come by, but more than 30 kidnapping cases were documented in 2024. 54 In Upper Egypt, communities also suffered violent attacks, and authorities often fail to hold perpetrators to account. 55 Customary reconciliation, a parallel system for ending disputes, is often used in these situations, but this system penalizes Christians, who have been pressured to accept the will of the majority community (see October 2025). Despite serious ongoing problems, positive signs continue to be seen in the largest Christian community in the Arab world. In December 2024, the Ministry of Justice and Egypt’s five officially recognized Christian denominations signed the long-awaited draft of the Personal Status Law for Christians. Among its provisions: men and women can inherit equally. Following criticisms that there were major delays approving new Christian buildings — a power previously restricted to Egypt’s president — the 2016 Church Construction Law devolved this authority. As of April 2026, 3,804 out of c .5,500 applications had legal recognition. 56 But the legislation has not been universally implemented, and attacks on churches or sites allocated for new ones continue to occur.
SELECTED INCIDENTS
OCTOBER 2025 Muslim villagers pelted Christian properties with stones and kindled fires on Christian- owned farmland in Nazlet Jalf, Beni Mazar, Minya Governorate. The attacks occurred on Tuesday, October 23, after rumors of a relationship between a Christian teenager and a Muslim girl circulated online. At a reconciliation session the following day, the Christian teenager’s grandfather was fined E£1 million ( c .$18,240) and the family told to sell their home and leave the village. The teenager was detained, pending investigation by the public prosecutor into his relationship. 60 FEBRUARY 2026 Without prior notice, Central Security Forces bulldozed a Christian compound including a wooden chapel in 15 th -of-May City on Tuesday, February 3. Official permission for a new church to be built there had been sought and the community was raising funds after officials verbally encouraged the project. Tear gas was used to disperse Christians who clashed with officers overseeing the demolition. It was subsequently claimed the demolition was triggered by the compound’s walls encroaching on neighboring land, due to a builders’ error. 61
OCTOBER 2024 Julia Atef, a 21-year-old Christian university student, disappeared on Sunday, October 26 on her way to St Mark’s Church in Shubra Al-Khayma, Qalyubia Governorate. 57 NOVEMBER 2024 Three Christians were hospitalized after being attacked by four men wielding swords and machetes in Ashrouba village in Minya Governorate’s Beni Mazar District. FEBRUARY 2025 Three Christian women — Marina Khalaf Greiss, 19, Erini Emil, 17, and Marina Rizk, 20 — disappeared in one week. Greiss and Rizk were subsequently returned to their families, having been forcibly converted and married to their abductors. 58 JULY 2025 Authorities arrested Russian Orthodox convert Saeid Mansour Abdulraziq on multiple charges, including terrorism, after he requested his identification papers be changed to show his religion as Christian instead of Muslim. 59 His June 2026 trial was adjourned.
16 | Persecuted and Forgotten?
CASE STUDY ABDUCTED, CONVERTED AND KEPT FROM HER FAMILY
When Samah Ageeb disappeared in December 2025, the Christian community in Girga District was outraged — saying she was the fifth Christian woman to disappear there that year. Samah — a 27-year-old married woman with a seven-year-old son — was abducted after getting into a tuk-tuk taxi in Bandar Al- Gharbiya village on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. After filing a missing persons report, her family received an unexpected phone call saying Samah had converted to Islam and was currently at the Suez Security Directorate, around 380 miles away from Girga. The Suez Security Directorate is the police force’s regional command center, which oversees law enforcement, security and public safety in the Suez Governorate. A group of family and neighbors made the grueling 10- hour journey to Suez. The family was under the impression that Samah would be allowed to leave with them, and when they arrived, her brother, along with her elderly father and mother, were allowed to go in to see Samah. According to reports from the family, Samah seemed heavily medicated and her speech was often incoherent. She had been dressed in a Muslim niqab, and when they lifted the veil her face was bruised — leading them to think she had been beaten. At the end of the meeting, Samah clung to her mother and begged to return home, but authorities removed her by force. Officers then asked her brother to sign a “non-interference” pledge, promising that he would not seek to return Samah to her family. He refused, insisting that his sister was being coerced. Following a heated exchange with officers, he was detained for several hours. Neighbors allege that he was tortured during his detention.
Her father was also asked to undergo a DNA test to prove his paternity, which he did. Security finally filed a report on Samah’s behalf against her family, seemingly ending their hopes that she would be released. With Samah still being held, a series of protests started in Girga. Located on the Nile’s west bank in Sohag Governorate, Girga District has a sizeable Christian population. According to local tradition, Girga takes its name from a long-gone monastery dedicated to St. George — or as he is known in Egypt, Mar Girgis. Protesters emphasized that Samah was the fifth Christian woman to disappear from Girga in 2025. Samah’s parents appealed to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for their daughter’s return, and supporters launched a global campaign publicizing her case. They were successful, and by the end of December, Samah had been reunited with her family. But her story raises a multitude of questions about the vulnerable situation of Christian women and the role played by authorities in their abductions. Sources “Fifth Case in Gerga: The Disappearance of Samah Ageeb Raises Alarming Questions,” Coptic Solidarity , December 17, 2025 https://www.copticsolidarity.org/2025/12/17/fifth-case-in-gerga- the-disappearance-of-samah-ageeb-raises-alarming-questions/ [accessed 06/15/26] . “National Security detains the family of Samah Nashed Ajeeb,” اﻟﺤﺮ اﻟﺤوار (YouTube Channel), December 14, 2025 https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=i64IPjJH21Q [accessed 06/16/26 ].
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As refugees [in Sudan], we feel valueless. Most of us women have been raped and sexually abused. We left our country [Eritrea] to look for a better life. But then we are left with a child of which we do not know the father. And we have to live in these camps for a long time.
18 | Persecuted and Forgotten?
ERITREA COUNTRY PROFILE
“Religious repression continued unabated” according to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, Mohamed Abdelsalam Babiker in 2025. He expressed particular concern about “the prolonged arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance of religious leaders and people of faith, some of whom have been detained for over 20 years." 62 The government officially recognizes the Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran, and Tewahedo Eritrean Orthodox Churches in addition to Sunni Islam. It also appoints Muslim and Orthodox leaders, controlling their activities and finances, while the smaller Catholic and Lutheran communities have much more freedom in these matters. Decree 73 prohibits spiritual leaders and religious media from commenting on politics. It also obliges Churches carrying out social initiatives to support state schemes. 63 Since 2019, Catholic social initiatives, including schools and hospitals, have been appropriated by the state, with Church staff who resisted these measures having faced intimidation, detention and enforced disappearance. 64 Registered Churches can also face other issues — such as forced military conscription of clerics. All other groups are supposed to register with the Office of Religious Affairs or stop all activities, but no group has yet managed to successfully complete the complex registration process. 65 Members of these groups, e.g., Pentecostal Christians, are routinely imprisoned and pressured to renounce their beliefs. In mid-2025 it was estimated that perhaps up to 500 Christians from unregistered Evangelical Protestant communities were in detention without charge or trial. 66 However, since the controversial prisoner releases at the end of 2025 (see November-December 2025) there have been no new mass arrests of Christians. Those arrested for religious reasons have been described as living in inhumane conditions at high-security prisons such as Mai Serwa near Asmara, being forced to live in squalor, and facing violence and intimidation. 67 Clerics from state-recognized Churches have also been jailed, including Orthodox priest Gebremedhin Gebregergis, who was seized in November 2004. 68
SELECTED INCIDENTS
2005, and not formally charged. A dozen organizations and more than 70 individuals signed a letter taken to the Eritrean embassy in the USA’s capital Washington, DC calling for the release of the Evangelical and Orthodox ministers. The embassy refused to accept the letter. 71 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2025 177 Christians were freed. But their release was conditional on signing a document stating they had illegally joined a proscribed denomination and promising not to participate in unregistered church activities again — taking full responsibility for any subsequent punishment if they did. 72
JULY 2024 A report found at least 218 Christians had been arrested over the past year, many of whom were women and children, bringing the number of Christians in prison to around 400. 69 JANUARY 2025 Authorities detained 44 Christians including 27 teenagers attending a prayer service held in a private home in Asmara. 70
AUGUST 2025 The #Voices4Justice campaign called for the release of seven Christian leaders arrested in 2004 and
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