ACLJ Files Critical Submissions to the U.N. Human Rights Council Demanding Protections for Dying Christians in FIVE of the World’s “Most Dangerous” Countries

The ACLJ is committed to defending Christians around the world from oppression and violent persecution for their faith. Right now we’re directly engaged in many of the most dangerous countries in the world for Christians, according to a new persecution report from Open Doors USA.

In fact, global persecution has reached a level where 16 Christians are killed for their faith, every single day. At the ACLJ, we believe it is our sacred duty to act.

We just delivered FIVE critical written submissions to the U.N. Human Rights Council (HRC) through our European affiliate office, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), demanding protection for dying Christians. All five countries in our filings are listed among the top 12 most dangerous places in the world for Christians, according to a new report.

Afghanistan – which has remained in the headlines for months now due to President Biden’s disastrous military withdrawal, allowing the Taliban to seize control – was just named the most dangerous country in the world for Christians. It unseated North Korea for the first time in a decade as the worst persecuting nation, not because North Korea has become less hostile to Christians, but because Afghanistan has continued to devolve in a spiral of turmoil and jihadist brutality.

From the minute Afghanistan melted down into chaos last August, the ACLJ warned that the Biden Administration’s incompetence had placed defenseless Christians, unmarried women and young girls, and even U.S. citizens in grave danger.

We just delivered an urgent written submission to the HRC demanding immediate intervention for Christians and helpless women and girls from the sheer brutality of the Taliban.

 Our submission included information from our contact, Victor Marx of All Things Possible Ministries who has direct experience with rescue efforts in Afghanistan:

Our contact, Victor Marx of All Things Possible Ministries, whose network has directly participated in the rescue of 5,000 people out of Afghanistan, including rescuing an at-risk Christian family of eight, confirms that “men, women and children are subjugated, beaten, and executed for their beliefs that differ from the tyrannical Taliban”.

President Biden seems to have completely moved on from the humanitarian crisis he created in Afghanistan. But we cannot move on, because INNOCENT CHRISTIANS ARE BEING KILLED. As our submission emphasized, it’s time for international action:

The international community must not turn a blind eye to these atrocities, or worse yet, partner with the Taliban as it continues its rampage of violence and human rights violations. We urge world leaders to demand access to Afghanistan and report on what is truly happening on the ground. The international community must also work to provide security, shelter, aid, and ensure that the most basic of human rights are secured for beleaguered communities, especially religious minorities.

Nigeria – where we’ve told you Islamic militias like Boko Haram have mercilessly gunned down entire villages of Christians, abducted and imprisoned innocent Christian schoolchildren, and beheaded Christian pastors – is merely number 7 on the Open Doors persecution list.

We just filed a critical written submission to the U.N. HRC highlighting the deadly conditions for Christians in Nigeria. We urged world leaders to acknowledge the escalating persecution and intervene:

Nigeria’s devastating humanitarian crisis is escalating and has already resulted in the deaths and kidnappings of thousands of Christians who are continually the targets of religiously motivated violence. In fact, in its 2022 World Watch List, Open Doors listed Nigeria as the 7th worst place for Christians to live. According to the former chair of the Nigeria Human Rights Commission, as a result of the violence “entire communities are being liquidated, displaced (and) destroyed”.

What’s truly disturbing is that when he was Secretary of State, ACLJ Senior Counsel for Global Affairs Mike Pompeo officially designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) for persecution and violations of religious freedom, but the Biden Administration inexplicably removed it from the list.

Out of sight, out of mind, off the list doesn’t magically erase the innocent blood of countless Christian men, women, and even children murdered by Islamic terrorists, Mr. President.

We urged the U.N. HRC to pressure Nigeria’s president to protect his country’s Christians, put a stop to the violence, and hold the perpetrators accountable.

Just behind Nigeria, on the World Watch List is Pakistan. It’s no surprise to the ACLJ. We’ve delivered numerous oral interventions and written submissions to the U.N. regarding Pakistan’s many human rights abuses against Christians. Just recently, we told you that our affiliate office on the ground in Pakistan is representing one of two Christian brothers currently on death row for blasphemy.

Sadly, accusations of blasphemy are easily doled out, and little evidence, if any, is needed to charge, convict, and even sentence to death. Especially when the defendant is a Christian who’s considered “second-class” in the Muslim nation. We aggressively advocated for years and successfully helped save Christian mom Asia Bibi who was sentenced to hang after Muslim coworkers accused her of making the drinking water “unclean.” Yes, if you’re a Christian in Pakistan, a drink of water could cost you your life.

We just delivered another critical written submission to the U.N. HRC, pointing out two unjust blasphemy cases and a case regarding a missing Christian girl that our team is working on in Pakistan. We urged the Council to “remind the Government of Pakistan of its national and international obligations, and to follow through on its commitment to protect all its citizens, including its minorities.”

Recently, we reported how right after we’d filed a critical report with the HRC, detailing incidents of persecution of Christians by Hindu mobs in India, another mob attacked a Christian pastor for allegedly converting people to Christianity. They didn’t drag him into the woods or a dark alley – the pastor was viciously beaten INSIDE a police station.

Targeted attacks like this are far too common and contributed to India’s rounding out the top 10 on the persecution watchlist.  We filed a written submission to the U.N. HRC drawing attention to these targeted abuses against Christians and other religious minorities by violent Hindu groups, due in part to the country’s indefensible anti-conversion laws:

In India, the Hindu majority continues to perpetrate violence against Christians, Muslims, and people belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Adivasi or indigenous people). Most of this violence occurs due to the anti-conversion laws, and persecution under such laws is not limited to non-state actors. Police often arrest pastors and Christian converts under false charges of forced conversions.

As with Pakistan, the HRC must put pressure on India to honor its obligations under the U.N. charter and to revise its discriminatory laws that put Christians in grave danger merely because of their faith.

Our fifth written submission was regarding Myanmar (Burma) and “the grave threat that innocent civilians within the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Burma) are facing from the Burma Army – a notoriously brutal military that has been the main hindrance in Myanmar’s transition into a democratic state.”

As we explained:

In August 2021, “Burma’s military leader . . . declared himself prime minister and said he would lead the country under the extended state of emergency until elections are held in about two years”. Under the state of emergency, the Burma Army has instituted government mandates that restrict citizens’ access to outside communications and restrain the rights of those who wish to protest the coup. In addition to implementing mandates, the Burma Army uses violence as a response to those who are opposed to the coup. . . . “This includes the widespread destruction of civilian homes and infrastructure, including hospitals and clinics, and the indiscriminate shelling of civilian populations”.

We urgently recommended that the global body take action to protect the people of Myanmar from its own brutal, militant regime.

While this latest persecution report just came out, these countries have been on the ACLJ’s radar for years, and we’ve been continuously directly engaged at the United Nations. We continue to fight vigorously to defend persecuted and dying Christians and the freedom of religion around the world.

But we cannot protect them alone. The world must take action to defend them and to force these countries to honor their international commitments and bring violent persecutors and abusers to justice, before it’s too late.