Rise of Christian Persecution in 2024: five key countries for the ECLJ

More than 380 million Christians were persecuted in 2024—equivalent to 1 in 7 Christians worldwide—according to the 2025 Index by the NGO Open Doors. This report confronts us with a harsh and often overlooked reality. With 15 million more persecuted Christians than in 2023, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) remains committed to addressing this issue in five key countries: Nicaragua, Turkey, Pakistan, Algeria, and India.

A Globally Alarming Context

The top five most hostile countries for Christians, according to the 2025 Index, are:

1. North Korea
2. Somalia
3. Yemen
4. Libya
5. Sudan

Here, countries where Christian persecution is most severe are predominantly Muslim or communist. Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly affected, accounting for 93% of Christians killed (at least 4’192 victims), primarily due to extremist groups operating in unstable regions. The Open Doors report highlights several countries central to the ECLJ’s advocacy at European and UN institutions, including Nicaragua (30^th), Turkey (45^th), Pakistan (8^th), Algeria (19^th), and India (11^th).

1. Nicaragua – Little-Known Christian Repression Worsens

Nicaragua ranks 30^th in the 2025 Index, confirming a persistent trend since 2023, when it rose from 50^th to 30^th place. Since 2018, under the despotic regime of Daniel Ortega, systematic repression of Christians has sought to silence critics and eliminate the Church’s spiritual influence in favor of a distorted Sandinista ideology. This authoritarian drift peaked with a constitutional reform in January 2025 granting Ortega near-absolute powers. Despite international condemnation from the EU, the US, and the UN, Christians remain victims of crimes against humanity.

The ECLJ, concerned about the scale of the repression, published a report in December 2024 and organized a rally in Paris on January 8, 2025, to support the victims of this Sandinista dictatorship. This event brought together various participants, including associations and politicians such as the member of the European Parliament Nicolas Bay (Conservative group) and French National Assembly member Éléonore Caroit (Renaissance group). Furthermore, the ECLJ is actively engaged in the adoption of Nicaragua's Universal Periodic Review, scheduled for March 2025 during the 58^th session of the UN Human Rights Council. During this session, the ECLJ will also host a side event to shed light on the situation.

2. Turkey – Christians Facing Turkish-Islamic Religious Nationalism

Turkey moved from 50^th place in the 2024 Index to 45^th in 2025. While Turkey officially declares itself a secular state, under President Erdogan, it has increasingly embraced Turkish-Islamic nationalism to the detriment of Christians. Erdogan publicly denounced the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, condemning what he called "immorality committed against the Christian world and against all Christians." However, regarding his own country, the ECLJ highlights the lack of measures ensuring the rights of persecuted Christians, noting 22 violent attacks against Christians in 2023, as documented in Turkey's UPR.

Furthermore, the expulsion of foreign Christians on the pretext of being a "national security threat" is deeply concerning. The case of Kenneth Wiest, an American Protestant who had been living in Turkey for 34 years but was banned from returning home, is emblematic of such persecutions. In its written observations of November 2024, the ECLJ urged the European Court of Human Rights to recognize that defending Kenneth Wiest’s rights is not solely about him and his family life but also about protecting all foreign Christians expelled from Turkey, as well as Turkish Christians deprived of training and guidance.

Additionally, the ECLJ regularly highlights the arbitrary and illegitimate interference suffered by Greek Orthodox foundations. In April 2024, the ECLJ intervened as a third party in the Arhondoni case, where Turkey labeled a foundation managing a Greek Orthodox monastery as "defunct," despite its continuous activity. Similarly, in November 2024, the ECLJ intervened in the Mavrakis case, where two Greek Orthodox priests, elected members of the administrative councils of Greek Orthodox community foundations in Istanbul, were removed from their positions by the General Directorate of Foundations—a Turkish public agency under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism—on the grounds that they were clergymen. In January 2025, the ECLJ will submit its written observations in the "Foundation of the Greek Church Balino in Balat" case, addressing the expropriation of two Greek Orthodox foundations.

3. Pakistan – Christians Targeted by Blasphemy Laws

Pakistan ranks 8^th in the 2025 Index, down from 7^th in 2024. Within the UN Human Rights Council, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, led by Pakistan and Turkey, campaigns against what it calls "Islamophobia" in the West. For the ECLJ, this campaign sacrifices freedom of expression by conflating legitimate criticism of Islam as a belief system with attacks on individual Muslims. However, Pakistan’s hypocrisy goes further, as its own blasphemy laws are weaponized against Christian minorities, leading to lynchings or even arbitrary death sentences, such as in the case of Ashan.

Ashan, a young Pakistani Christian, was accused of blasphemy and terrorism for posting a photo on TikTok of a desecrated page of the Quran. Despite a lack of tangible evidence, he was sentenced to death on unfounded charges. Christians in Pakistan also face other forms of persecution: Christian and Hindu girls are kidnapped, forcibly converted, and married. Converts from Islam to Christianity are also particularly vulnerable, living under constant threat of retaliation.

The ECLJ is working through cases such as Ashan’s and Shahzad Masih’s to expose these abuses and push for reforms to ensure effective protection of Christians’ rights in Pakistan.

4. Algeria – Laws Restricting Freedom of Worship and Christian Associations

Algeria now ranks 19^th in the 2025 Index, down from 15^th in 2024. In Algeria, Christians face growing persecution, highlighted by the closure of all 47 Protestant evangelical churches in the country. Many Algerian Christians are subjected to criminal convictions. The Catholic Church is also affected by these restrictions; for instance, its humanitarian service Caritas has been shut down since October 2022. This situation reflects a broader trend of political and cultural isolation, with the country retreating into an exclusively Arab and Muslim identity. This inward shift is reinforced by rhetoric of mistrust toward the West, particularly France, which is viewed solely through the lens of its colonial history.

Although the Algerian Constitution theoretically guarantees freedom of expression and freedom of worship, the legislation severely penalizes any attempt to convert Muslims and imposes restrictions on non-Muslim worship and Christian associations. Furthermore, since 2020, freedom of conscience has even been removed from the Constitution, demonstrating an alarming regression of human rights in Algeria.

In July 2024, the ECLJ organized a conference at the UN Human Rights Council to advocate for Algerian Christians. Speakers at the conference included the former French ambassador to Algeria, Xavier Driencourt, UN Special Rapporteurs on freedom of religion and association, as well as the Vice President of the Protestant Church of Algeria.

5. India – Christians Persecuted Under Anti-Conversion Laws

India retains its 11^th position in the 2025 Index, highlighting the persistent severity of anti-Christian persecution in the country. Although often referred to as the "world’s largest democracy" and endowed with a secular Constitution, India remains a hostile environment for Christians, largely due to the influence of Hindu extremists advocating for an exclusively Hindu identity for all Indian citizens. Violence against Christians continues, and the authorities remain inactive or offer limited responses to effectively address the issue and protect victims, as the ECLJ noted during an oral intervention at the UN Human Rights Council in October 2022.

For years, the “caste” system and anti-conversion laws enacted in 11 of India’s 29 states have exacerbated discrimination against Christians. While Articles 15 and 25 of the Indian Constitution guarantees, de jure, religious freedom and protect minorities from discrimination, these local laws, de facto, hinder Christian practices, as highlighted in the ECLJ’s 2022 Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Despite reminders during the 2017 UPR, India has failed to implement any critical recommendations concerning religious freedom. Similarly, the 2022 UPR did not yield significant results on the ground.

Concerned about the situation, the ECLJ will host a conference in Geneva in March 2025 during the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council, focusing on anti-conversion laws and the persecution of Christians in India.

As anti-Christian persecution continues to rise worldwide for the 12th consecutive year, it is essential to pray. Pray that God accompanies Christians through these trials, gives them strength to remain steadfast in their faith, and brings an end to the violence. We ask that His peace, which surpasses all understanding, fills the hearts of these believers and brings hope to their nations.

By Manaëm Huet, Étudiant en Master II Droit International à l'Université de St. Gall, Suisse.