The report was done by Aid to the Church in Need (CAN), which examined the situation for Christians in 18 countries of key concern from Nicaragua in Latin America to Myanmar in the Far East and Burkina Faso in Africa between summer 2022 and summer 2024.
"Anti-Christian persecution has been perpetrated by both state and non-state actors, such as terrorist organizations, other groups of religious extremists, and criminal gangs," said CAN in a press release. "The report states, ‘Authoritarian regimes, including those in China, Eritrea, India, and Iran, ramped up repressive measures against Christians, either in the name of religious nationalism or state secularism/communism."
Restrictions included tougher sentencing for alleged insults against state ideology, confiscation of places of worship, and increased arrests of clergy and laity, as well as longer periods of detention.
Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern, told AFN the report is well done.
"Persecution is increasing around the world," said King. "It's barely going the right direction anywhere."
Vietnam stood out as an area of improvement, albeit slight improvement.
"They've kind matured as a country," said King. "They're interested in business, and they know to make money they have to have a better human rights record, so they've been improving for a while now."
Prayer and more
The report coincides with the Nov. 3rd observation of International Day of Prayer For The Persecuted. King said believers in the U.S. should be in prayer, but we should not stop there.
"Stay informed so you understand what's going on and if something happens then we can alert you and say 'Hey, call your member of congress and ask them to put pressure on an ambassador,'" said King. "They can make calls to other countries where a lot of times this is the only thing that's needed, and the prison door can spring open."
