Annual report of the World Christian Organization: Iran is the ninth most anti-Christian country in the world
According to the annual report of the global Christian organization "Open Doors", Iran was named the ninth most anti-Christian country in the world.
The publication of the annual report by the global Christian organization "Open Doors" today, Wednesday, January 15, corresponding to January 16, shows that the Islamic Republic of Iran is known as the ninth most "anti-Christian" country in the world, which has not changed compared to last year and has remained in the same rank.
The Open Doors organization, which studies the situation of Christians under oppression and persecution in 50 countries around the world, introduced North Korea as the first anti-Christian country in its annual report, followed by Somalia, Yemen, and Libya. Iran is also introduced as the ninth anti-Christian country in the report.
Before Iran, Sudan, Eritrea, Nigeria and Pakistan are ranked, and after Iran, Afghanistan is ranked tenth, followed by India, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, Mali and China. In the past few years, Iran has been ranked eighth and ninth due to the persecution of Christians, and there has been no change in this ranking compared to last year, which indicates the continued repression, persecution, harassment and discrimination of the Islamic Republic government against Christians.
In its annual report, the Christian organization cited various sources, including Article 18, in which it cited numerous cases of repression, torture, and arson against Christians. It also mentioned the arrest of at least 46 Christian citizens during Christmas last year (2023).
The report also mentions Articles 499 and 500 of the Islamic Penal Code, which is used to suppress religious minorities, and under this article, eight Christian citizens were sentenced to a total of 45 years in prison in late June of this year. Open Doors continues in its report that the number of Christians sentenced to prison and various punishments last year increased from 16 to 43, and the number of detainees decreased from 122 in 2023 to 113 in 2024.
Referring to the released Christian prisoners, Darhai wrote: “This freedom does not mean the end of injustice. These people have been pardoned but not acquitted, and the laws used against them remain in force.” In addition, the report emphasized: “Armenians and Assyrians, despite being recognized minorities in Iran’s constitution, are still considered second-class citizens. If they participate in religious ceremonies together with Christian converts or talk about the Bible, they are targeted by security forces and sentenced to prison. Christian converts are also not recognized and are often arrested and repressed on security charges.”
At the end of its report, Open Doors pointed to the Islamic Republic of Iran's obligations under international conventions, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 18 of which guarantees freedom of thought, conscience, and religion for all human beings.
