260 million Christians were persecuted and killed worldwide last year
According to a report by a charity, an estimated 260 million Christians worldwide were persecuted and persecuted last year, but there was a 31 percent decrease in the number of Christian murders.
According to a report by the charity Open Doors released on Wednesday, an estimated 260 million Christians worldwide were persecuted in 2019. In 2018, the number of Christians persecuted in some countries reached 245 million.
According to the charity, the creation of religious restrictions in China and the expansion of jihadist activities in African countries are among the factors behind the increase in cases of persecution and abuse of Christians.
According to this report, the persecution of Christians in North Korea has increased sharply, and the country ranks first on the list of persecution of Christians.
Afghanistan is the second most persecuted country for Christians, followed by Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Eritrea, Sudan, Yemen, Iran, India, and Syria.
However, the number of Christian murders has decreased from 4,305 to 2,983 murders in 2018, representing a total decrease of 31 percent.
The report cited the drop in Christian killings in Nigeria as one of the factors behind the decline in Christian killings compared to 2018. Despite this, 1,350 Christians were killed in the country last year, and Nigeria is still the deadliest country for Christians.
According to the information published in the report, the number of attacks on churches has increased fivefold in the past year. This means that compared to 1,847 attacks on churches in 2018, there were a total of 9,488 attacks on churches in 2019. In China in particular, at least 5,576 churches were either closed or damaged.
Open Doors annually publishes a list of the 50 countries where Christians face the greatest threat. The organization's definition of "persecution" includes everything from violence to murder and repression in everyday life.
Source: DW
