As Narendra Modi places India under an authoritarian regime guided by Hindu nationalism, Christians are increasingly suffering from anti-conversion laws and direct violence. The ECLJ has published a new comprehensive report and organized a conference at the UN Human Rights Council on March 19, 2025, to denounce this persecution.

In 2024, over 160 violent attacks against Christians were recorded in India. These assaults range from the ransacking of churches and prayer meetings to physical violence against worshippers. Between January and September, nearly 600 religious services were disrupted by Hindu extremists. Under the growing influence of Hindu nationalism and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), violence and discrimination against religious minorities are intensifying.

In addition to direct violence, there is also a repressive legal framework: anti-conversion laws, the first of which dates back to 1967. Enacted in 12 of the 28 Indian Union states, these laws primarily target Christians and Muslims, as well as Hindus seeking to convert. According to the Hindutva ideology (a radical form of Hindu nationalism), Christians are accused of forcibly converting Hindus or luring them with material benefits. This rhetoric directly fuels persecution.

ECLJ’s Mobilization at the UN Human Rights Council

Faced with this alarming situation, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) published a scathing report titled "Anti-Conversion Laws and the Persecution of Christians in India". Building on this work, we organized a conference on the sidelines of the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 19, 2025. The event, co-sponsored by the NGO Christian Solidarity International, brought together our colleagues CeCe Heil and Shaheryar Gill, along with Indian journalist Vishal Arora. Together, they analyzed the Indian political context, marked since 2014 by the authoritarian government of Narendra Modi, and exposed the repressive legal mechanisms underpinning anti-conversion laws.

Foreign Christians are also affected by persecution. During the conference, we shared the testimony of American pastor Bryan Nerren, who was arbitrarily imprisoned for seven months between 2019 and 2020. The ECLJ had actively advocated on his behalf.

The Instrumentalization of Anti-Conversion Laws

Although the Indian Constitution guarantees religious freedom, this right is conditional upon respect for public order, morality, public health, and other fundamental rights. Based on this provision, anti-conversion laws were introduced, allegedly to protect “the religious freedom of others.” These laws also target the so-called phenomenon of "Love Jihad," a conspiracy theory claiming that Muslims seduce Hindu women to convert them through marriage.

A Liberticidal Arsenal with Disproportionate Effects

The legal framework includes particularly restrictive measures:

• Requirement to obtain prior authorization from authorities before any conversion;
• Systematic and intrusive investigations;
• Vague definitions of terms like “force” and “inducement,” allowing for abuse;
• Disproportionate penalties of up to 10 years in prison;
• Reversal of the burden of proof, requiring the accused to demonstrate the conversion was not forced.

Convictions remain rare: fewer than five known cases to date. However, this repressive framework puts a target on Christians' backs and legitimizes their social ostracization. Over 60% of complaints are filed by third parties, not by those allegedly affected. The Indian Supreme Court has yet to make a substantive ruling on the constitutionality of these laws, allowing legally sanctioned discrimination to persist.

The Complicit Silence of the International Community

Despite the scale of the persecution, the international community remains largely silent. India, often referred to as “the world’s largest democracy,” benefits from the complacency of its Western partners due to its economic power and strategic role. During India’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2022, several states recommended repealing the anti-conversion laws. These recommendations were ignored. Moreover, no UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion has visited India since 2008, although the country officially opened itself to special procedures in 2011.

The ECLJ calls on the European Union, the UN, and Western governments to place the issue of religious freedom in India on the diplomatic agenda. It is imperative to demand an end to the persecution of Christians and the respect of fundamental rights for all Indian citizens.

This event was the occation to present a new ECLJ Report on India, available here.

This side event took place during the 58th regular session of the Human Rights Council.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction by Dr. Grégor Puppinck, ECLJ Director
01:40 Cece Heil, Esq., ACLJ Senior Counsel
09:40 Pastor Bryan Nerren's testimony
16:40 Shaheryar Gill, Esq., ACLJ Senior Counsel
27:40 Vishal Arora, Indian journalist
40:03 Q & A