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Open Doors Releases 2005 World Watch List
Open Doors USA March 07, 2005
North Korea Retains No. 1 Persecution Ranking In World
Open Doors’ Top 50 Countries Where Christians
Suffer Most
SANTA ANA, CA (March 7, 2005) – For the third straight year, the isolated
communist nation of North Korea remains atop the annual Open Doors
International “World Watch List” of countries where Christians are
persecuted.
“Christianity is observed as one of the greatest threats to the regime’s
power,” the 2005 World Watch List report states. Exact figures are difficult
to obtain, but it is believed that tens of thousands of Christians are
currently suffering in North Korean prison camps, and at least 20 Christians
were shot or beaten to death in 2004 while in detention.
“North Korea is the most repressive nation in the world…it certainly
deserves its shameful ranking on the World Watch List,” says Open Doors USA
President Dr. Carl Moeller. “It breaks my heart to hear some of the
atrocities against our brothers and sisters there. The government will
arrest not only a suspected dissident but also three generations of his
family to root out the ‘bad’ influence. North Korea is suspected to detain
more political and religious prisoners than any other country in the
world.“Yet we hear reports of how the church in North Korea continues to
grow. Let’s continue to lift up the needs of our fellow believers in North
Korea and in all the countries on the World Watch List.”
The
annual list ranks countries according to the intensity of persecution
Christians face for actively pursuing their faith. Five of the top 10 are
Islamic-dominated countries, four have communist regimes in power, and one
country, Bhutan, is dominated by Buddhism.
Saudi Arabia again held the second spot on the list, followed by Vietnam,
Laos, and Iran. Other countries listed on the WWL’s top 10, from No. 6 to
10, include: Maldives, Somalia, Bhutan, China and Afghanistan.
Newcomers to the top 10 are Somalia and Afghanistan. Dropping out of the top
10 are Turkmenistan (No. 12) and Myanmar (No. 17). Somalia moved up four
places to seventh in the rankings primarily because “Christian converts from
Islam are paying a high price for their new faith, especially in rural parts
of this most lawless country in the world.”
The
desert kingdom of Saudi Arabia requires all its citizens to be Muslims. For
a Saudi to convert to another religion, the consequences can be severe. The
legal system is based on Islamic law (sharia) where apostasy – conversion to
another religion – is punishable by death. Even foreign Christian guest
workers have been imprisoned and deported for quietly practicing their
faith, despite government assurances that foreigners can worship privately.
In 2004, Indian citizen Brian O’Connor was sentenced to 10 months
imprisonment and 300 lashes. He was released and deported after seven months
in prison.
New to third place is Vietnam, rising one position. One of the few communist
nations in the world, Vietnam considers Christians to be a hidden enemy.
Authorities fear that Evangelical Christianity, suspected to be connected to
the United States, is being used in a peaceful revolution against the
communist system. Although the constitution provides for religious freedom,
the government considerably restricts unrecognized religious activities. A
new law on religion was introduced during the past year and bans any
religious activity deemed to threaten national security, public order or
national unity. The new ordinance is used to prohibit unregistered church
services in private houses. The situation deteriorated for Christians in the
East African country of No. 16 Eritrea, where more than 400 evangelical
Christians are currently in prison for their faith and subjected to harsh
conditions, including being locked in metal shipping containers in severe
heat.
And while Christians in Iraq – ranked 21st – enjoy more liberty than under
the regime of Saddam Hussein, they are experiencing increased pressure from
fundamentalist Islamic groups. “Written threats, kidnappings, bombings and
murder by Muslim extremists continued to drive tens of thousands of the
minority Christian population out of the country,” the World Watch List
report observes.
On the positive side, Christians in Sudan, ranked No. 19, are hopeful that a
new peace accord will lead to greater access to goods and services
previously denied. Under the latest accord, the mainly Christian and animist
south will remain autonomous for six years. It’s estimated more than two
million people have died in Sudan during 21 years of civil war.
No. 11-25 on the World Watch List are: Yemen, Turkmenistan, Pakistan,
Comoros, Uzbekistan, Eritrea, Myanmar (Burma), Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Iraq,
Azerbaijan, Morocco, Brunei and Nigeria (north).
Rounding out the list are Nos. 26-50: Cuba, Russian Federation, Tajikistan,
Sri Lanka, Djibouti, Mexico (Chiapas), Tunisia, Qatar, India, Nepal,
Colombia (conflict areas), Indonesia, Algeria, Turkey, Mauritania, Kuwait,
Belarus, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Syria, Bangladesh, Jordan, Kenya
(northeast), Ethiopia and Bahrain.
The World Watch
List is based on evaluation and testimonies obtained by Open Doors’
indigenous contacts, field workers and from members of the Persecuted
Church.
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FOCUS ON
THE WORLD WATCH LIST TOP TEN: WHERE CHRISTIANS SUFFER MOST
(Copyright 2004 by
Open Doors International)
Open Doors
International February 23, 2004
1. North
Korea : There was no change in the deplorable
lack of religious freedom in Stalinist North Korea. The North Korean regime
still runs the main politico-labor camps where about 200,000 prisoners are
held. Tens of thousands of them are Christians, imprisoned for their faith,
who face torture, starvation and death in the camps. According to our local
co-workers, their number is increasing as the high number of North Korean
refugees being arrested in China are returned and sent to labor camps. Many
became Christians after they received support from Korean and Chinese
missionaries and were tortured or killed when their contacts with Christians
were discovered.
2. Saudi
Arabia : There is hardly any
religious freedom in the strict Islamic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Christians
and other non-Muslims are not allowed to meet for public worship in the
country. During 2003, several foreign Christians were jailed. Some of them
were subsequently deported to their home countries in connection with
Christian activities such as involvement in house churches. Christians are
not allowed to hold any position of authority over a Muslim. The fact that
one of the Christian prisoners had become a manager at his workplace could
have played a role in his detention.
3. Laos
: The Lao government continued to put pressure upon Christians in the
country. Many were arrested and later released while several churches were
closed in 2003. As one of our local co-workers described, “Christians look
at prisons as revolving doors, as many leaders were imprisoned several times
in the year.” There was also an increase in physical abuse of believers to
make them renounce their faith. Several families were evicted from their
homes for refusing to give up their beliefs. One Lao believer was even
killed for his faith.
4. Vietnam
: Persecution of tribal Christians in the Highlands of Vietnam continued
unabated during the past year. At the beginning of the year, the powerful
central committee of the Communist Party announced it would take harsh
measures to better control religion. During the year, many Christians from
ethnic minority communities were forced to renounce their faith and many
were arrested when they refused to do so. At one time, an estimated 300
Christian pastors were imprisoned for holding church meetings. According to
our local co-workers, at least four Christians died as a result of
persecution. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese government continues to consistently
deny well-documented incidents of religious persecution.
5. Iran
: The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran continued to restrict
freedom of religion during 2003. Religious minorities in the country are
regularly harassed, intimidated and discriminated against because of their
faith. In the new WWL, Iran rose from number 10 to number five, which
indicates a clear increase in the extent of persecution. The reason is that
we observed a considerable increase in the number of Christians being
arrested and held without trial for their religious beliefs during the past
year. In December, a large number of Christians with an Islamic background
were also physically harmed in connection with their new-found faith.
6.
Turkmenistan : Religious liberty
has been severely restricted in the severely restricted country of
Turkmenistan. As a result of the assassination attempt on President Niyazov
at the end of 2002 and a resulting increase in government control, the
situation got even tighter for Christians. During the past year, believers
have been harassed, threatened, fined and detained because of their faith.
Turkmenistan further increased its pressure on unregistered believers by
adopting a new religion law which outlaws all unregistered religious
activity. Members of minority faiths are now vulnerable to criminal charges,
and penalties for breaking the law range up to a year of “corrective labor.”
By forbidding unregistered religious activity, Turkmenistan is violating the
international human rights agreement it has signed.
7. Maldives
: There was no change in the lack of religious freedom in the archipelago of
the Maldives. Islam is the official state religion and religious liberty is
severely restricted. The government requires that all citizens be Muslims,
and the public practice of any other religion is prohibited. Non-Muslim
foreigners are allowed to practice their religion in private, without
inviting citizens to join. There are no churches allowed in the country, and
the importation of non-Muslim religious materials is forbidden, apart from
those for personal use by non-citizens. The few indigenous Christians live
their faith in secrecy and extreme isolation. When discovered, they risk
loosing their citizenship.
8. Bhutan
: Buddhism is the state religion of the Kingdom of Bhutan, and adherents of
this religion are clearly favored over followers of other religions. There
was no change in the situation of religious freedom during 2003. Christians
are suffering from harassment and discrimination by the government, local
authorities and other citizens. According to local sources, mental tortures
are heavily inflicted on those who become Christians. They lose all their
rights and are denied access to facilities and services of the government,
such as education for their children and job opportunities. Some lose their
rented facilities once their landlords – who fear government reprisal --
know they are Christians. No religious materials except for Buddhist
religious texts were allowed to enter the country.
9. Myanmar
: Myanmar has no constitution or laws to protect freedom of religion. The
government imposes restrictions on certain religious activities and often
violates the right to religious freedom. In this mainly Buddhist country,
Christians face discrimination and restriction of education, evangelism and
church construction activities. The government is opposed to the spread of
Christianity. Thousands of young Christians are unemployed because of their
faith and are pressured to convert to Buddhism. Several Christian churches
and homes were burned during 2003. Persecution is more severe among ethnic
tribes such as the Karen. Apart from the ethnical motivations, there are
also elements of anti-Christian persecution.
10. China
: There was no significant change in the situation of religious liberty in
China. Unregistered religious groups are considered illegal in the country.
Registered churches, however, are controlled and regulated to prevent the
rise of groups that could form an authority outside of the state’s control.
Nevertheless, the membership of many Christian groups is growing. Under the
new president, Hu Jintao, persecution of Christians has not decreased. House
church raids and arrests of Christian house church leaders and members
continued. A Christian woman was even beaten to death in custody. A national
campaign to register house churches -- and thereby to place them under
government control and supervision -- is in operation. Also, the government
started a campaign to actively promote “orthodox atheist” communism through
state media and denounce “deviant” beliefs in an effort to restrict the
influence of religious activity.
---------------
Other News
Top 50 Countries Where Christians Suffer Most:
Open Door International February 23, 2004
Open Doors Lists Nations Where Christians Suffer
Most - Crosswalk February 23, 2004
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WORLD WATCH LIST (WWL)
UPDATED JULY 2002
The Open Doors International has
published a World Watch List (WWL) in July 2002. The World Watch List (WWL)
is a list of countries ranked according to the degree of freedom of religion
granted to Christians and where Christians are persecuted the most.
It has compiled a
list of top
50 countries where Christians are persecuted the most. This is the most
recent update. Bhutan ranks 7 out of top 10 countries where Christians are
persecuted the most.
The
WWL ranking: North Korea
has replaced Saudi Arabia as the first country on the list. Saudi Arabia is
now ranked second, followed by Laos, Vietnam and Turkmenistan. New
information on the situation in the Maldives brought the country up to
sixth. Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia complete the top 10. Six of
the top 10 countries are governed by an Islamic regime: Saudi Arabia,
Turkmenistan, Maldives, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia. Three countries
have communist governments: North Korea, Laos and Vietnam. One country,
Bhutan, is Buddhist.
Explanation:
Short
explanation of the columns below:
The first
column is the current ranking.
The second
column contains the name of the country.
The next
column indicates the current points. In theory, the maximum is 100
The last column shows the degree of uncertainty of these numbers (Var.).
This means that in the worst of cases, the total amount should be increased
with that number. |
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Persecution List:
Focus on the Top Ten
1.
North Korea
New reports underline the deplorable situation of North Korea’s Christians.
First hand reports and other sources confirm what was earlier suspected –
Christians who are put in jail in North Korea are treated in an even more
inhumane way than the other prisoners. They are exposed to excessive
torture; pregnant Christian women are forced to abort – “people with bad
ideology in them should not be allowed to give birth.” Because of the food
shortages, many North Koreans flee to China. This has become more and more
difficult now that China and North Korea track down refugees in the border
area. When they are caught, they are deported back to North Korea, and those
who have been in contact with Korean/Chinese Christians are separated from
the rest. The first group is immediately sent to a political labour camp.
Because Christians are seen as political criminals, they are forced to
renounce their faith and worship Kim II Sung. If they confess Christ and
stay faithful, they are often executed.
2.
Saudi Arabia
The Islamic monarchy of Saudi Arabia has no legal protection for freedom of
religion. It prohibits the public practice of non-Muslim religions. Islam is
the official religion and all citizens are Muslims. Officially, the
government recognizes the right of non-Muslim foreigners to worship in
private. However, this is not always the case in practice. During the past
six months, 14 Christian expatriate prisoners were gradually released and
deported. The Christians had been jailed since last year without formal
charges for allegedly illegal Christian activities. In May, two Filipino
Christians were deported for owning a Bible and Christian CD’s. They had
been in prison for more than a month.
3.
Laos: "All acts of
creating division of religion or creating division among the people" are
prohibited by the Constitution of Laos. Apparently, the Laotian government
applies this provision to forbid all religious practice. Christianity is
considered to be associated with their enemy, the U.S., and is suspected of
intending to overthrow the Laotian government. Therefore the government
highly controls Christian activities and is eager to limit Christian
influence among its people. Government officials are visiting towns and
villages and holding indoctrination classes for Christians. Eight Christians
who had attended Christian training seminars were arrested. They were
accused of holding an illegal assembly, for preaching and converting people
to Christianity. After two months, they were released. In spite of the
persecution, the church in Laos continues to grow.
4.
Vietnam: The state is the
major source of persecution in Vietnam. The reasons are two-fold. First, the
Communist Party believes that organized religion may weaken its authority
and influence. Second, the state views Christianity as linked with the U.S.,
and due to the history of war and animosity between the two countries, its
attitude continues to be negative towards Christians. Thirty Christian
leaders recently received jail sentences ranging from three to 12 years,
Compass reported in June. At the beginning of June, another 14 Vietnamese
pastors were arrested in the Central Highlands. Others have simply
disappeared, and a further 200 Christians have been arrested this year. In
the past five years, an estimated 14,000 Christian Hmong have fled
persecution in northwest Vietnam. Those who were forced to return from
Cambodia to Vietnam have been tortured. International human rights
organizations have called upon the Vietnamese government to stop the
persecution of the hill tribes.
5.
Turkmenistan: Although
the Constitution of Turkmenistan provides for freedom of religion,
activities of all religions are tightly controlled and severely restricted.
The government has incorporated some aspects of the majority religion, the
Islamic tradition, into its effort to redefine a national identity. The
Turkmen society is characterized by the personality cult around President
Saparmurat Niyazov. The president does not accept the fact that Christians
give higher authority to God than to him. Ethnic Turkmen who have converted
to Christianity are considered to be a threat to the national identity and
have been subjected to official harassment and mistreatment. Eight
Christians in Deinau were recently forced to renounce their faith. They were
arrested when a postal employee found a Christian magazine in their mail.
Three refused to give up their faith and went into hiding. They are now
subject to a manhunt ordered by the police in Ashgabat, Keston reported in
May.
6.
Maldives: Islam is the
state religion in the Maldives, and their law prohibits the practice of any
other religion. Maldivian citizens are required to be Muslims. There are few
indigenous Christians, and they worship in secret. Foreign Christians are
allowed to practice their religion privately if they do not evangelize.
There are no places of worship for any other religion than Islam.
7.
Bhutan: Bhutanese law
bans the practice of Christianity. The state religion is Buddhism. The
government has denied Christians the right of freedom of religion and
worship. They cannot observe and practice their religion publicly in
community. Christians are considered to be a threat to the Buddhist culture,
which the authorities want to maintain.
8.
Pakistan: Christians in
the Islamic Republic of Pakistan are seen as second-class citizens. Ten
Christians are currently jailed on blasphemy charges, which are often based
on false information. In October last year and March of this year, churches
were attacked in Bahawalpur and Islamabad. More than 20 Christians were
killed and many were wounded. It is suspected that hard-line Islamic groups
opposed to Pakistan’s support for U.S.-led war on terrorism are responsible
for the attacks.
9.
Afghanistan: The newly
appointed government of Afghanistan, under pressure from fundamentalist
elements, decided to keep the sharia (Islamic law) legislation during the
interim period of 1.5 years. This means that a Muslim is prohibited from
converting to Christianity or any other religion. During most of the past 12
months, freedom of religion was determined by unofficial and unwritten
policies of the warring fractions.
10.
Somalia: In Somalia,
Islam is the national religion. The legal system is partly based on sharia
legislation. Consequently, evangelism and conversion to another religion
other than Islam are not allowed. There are a few secret believers in the
country.
Copyright ©
2002 Open Doors International
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