Meeting to review Open Doors' annual report on persecuted Christians

Open Doors held a meeting to review new analysis and findings on the persecution of Christians, focusing on Iran and other countries.

The specialized meeting, held on Tuesday, January 27, with the participation of a number of members of the European Parliament, was dedicated to examining the latest annual report of the international organization "Open Doors" on the situation of Christians around the world. The meeting, which was accompanied by the presentation of data, analysis and personal testimonies, once again showed that the pressures and repression against followers of Christianity are still serious and increasing in many countries, especially in Iran and several other countries.

According to the latest reports published by Open Doors, more than 380 to 388 million Christians around the world have faced varying levels of discrimination, oppression, and persecution in the past year, a figure that has increased significantly compared to the previous year and shows that about 1 in 7 Christians worldwide is exposed to "very high levels of persecution."

• Increasing violence: The number of Christians killed for their faith last year reached an estimated 4,849 , with an average of about 13 people losing their lives for their Christian faith every day.
• Global scope: The number of countries with “extreme” levels of persecution against Christians has increased from 13 to 15.
• Interval data: These statistics are estimates for the period of research from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025 and may not fully reflect the impact of recent events in Iran and the region.

The report shows that persecution of Christians does not only include physical violence, but also legal discrimination, social pressure, and deprivation of civil liberties in various areas of private, family, and social life.

The recent World Watch List published a list of countries with the highest levels of persecution against Christians, with North Korea, Somalia and Yemen being the most severe. Iran is also among the top ten countries in the world for 2025, a position that reflects the dire situation for Christians in the country.

Additional reports and reliable sources indicate that:

• There are more than 800,000 Christians in Iran, the majority of whom are followers of Christianity from a Muslim background and are under severe pressure.
• Leaving Islam and converting to Christianity is considered a crime, and individuals on this path face harassment, arrest, imprisonment, pressure to provide information, and torture.
• Many house churches are searched and raided by security agencies, and sanctions and judicial pressure against them are common.
• Human rights organizations have reported that the number of arrests and prosecutions of Christian citizens has increased in recent years.

Some human rights observers, such as the UN Special Rapporteur, have also emphasized: "Christian converts in Iran are constantly subjected to torture and persecution."

At the European Parliament meeting, in addition to discussing the data, they warned of increasing oppression and pressure against Christians.

• Open Doors representatives and experts such as Peter Poulson, executive director of the Swedish office, analyzed the findings of the new report and warned of increasing pressure in some countries.
• Two Christians from countries at the top of the list, such as Yemen and Nigeria, shared their painful personal stories of discrimination, threats and separation from family with European representatives.
• Emphasizing the importance of hearing the victims' stories, MEP Bart-Jan Roissen said: "Today we have two options: either to remain indifferent and continue with our daily lives, or to listen to the painful stories of the victims and ask ourselves what we can do."

Also in the question and answer section, a representative from the "Article 18" organization, referring to International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the words of resistance theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, said: "Silence in the face of evil is itself a form of evil," and emphasized that one should not remain silent about what is happening in Iran.

The meeting also raised the issue of the situation of Iranian asylum seekers, including how to prevent their asylum applications from being rejected in some countries. No clear and practical answer was provided in this section, but the issue reflects the complexity and sensitivity of the overall situation regarding the migration of religious minorities.

The Open Doors annual report and its review session in the European Parliament provide a realistic and shocking picture of the situation of persecuted Christians around the world:

• A dramatic increase in persecution and violence against Christians, with a record of over 380 million people under pressure.
• The Islamic Republic of Iran remains one of the countries where Christians are subject to serious persecution and discrimination.
• The personal narratives of the victims show that this issue goes beyond statistics and numbers, it is a human and painful reality that requires a serious response from the international community.