RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Around 260 million Christians were “severely persecuted” worldwide in 2019, more than 15 million more than in the previous year, according to a report by the Doors Open Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) published a couple of days ago.
The report points out however; that the number killed because of their faith has fallen. This Protestant organization publishes its annual index using data from 50 countries where Christians are most persecuted. The period assessed runs from November 2018 to October 2019.
The organization defines “persecution” as instances of violence, which can go as far as murder, but also as a more discreet form of daily oppression.
“This increase is explained, in particular, by the deterioration of the situation of religious freedom in China and the establishment of jihadism in Africa,” writes the NGO.
The number of Christians killed fell from 4,305 to 2,983, a decrease of 31 percent over the previous year. The number of deaths have been growing for three years, according to the Doors Open organization, which explains that this decrease may be related to a lower number of Christians killed in Nigeria.
In this country, “there is a partial change in the tactics of Fulani pastors, who in addition to the murders now go through kidnappings for ransoms,” says Patrick AFP Patrick Victor, director of the Doors Open France.
However, Nigeria remains the country with the highest number of Christians killed because of their faith (1,350 dead).
Furthermore, the number of persecuted churches (closed, attacked, damaged, burned) increased in one year from 1,847 to 9,488, an increase “mainly due to the Chinese regime’s action against churches in China (at least 5,576),” the organization adds.
The report also reveals that the number of Christians detained increased from 3,150 to 3,711, mainly in China, Eritrea and India.
Of the total number of persecutions identified, North Korea is once again at the top of this annual ranking.
“The totalitarian domination of the regime in each individual makes faith in God a crime against the regime, reason enough to end their life in a forced labor camp,” according to the NGO.
It is followed by Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Eritrea, Sudan, Yemen, Iran, India and Syria.