China, India, several Asian countries rank as worst in ‘religious freedom’

12 Asian countries were designated by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) as among the nations with the worst religious persecution in the whole world.

The USCIRF makes recommendations to the US State Department in its annual report on how to better advocate for religious freedom, including implementing various sanctions against violating countries.

The USCIRF recommends 17 countries to the US government for designation as Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs) in this year's report because of the ongoing erosion of religious freedom in these countries.

The 12 Asian countries included in the list are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Myanmar, China, India, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam.

Here are some of the key findings from the USCIRF 2024 Report, particularly those concerning Catholics and Christians:

In Afghanistan, the USCIRF noted how the Taliban rule continues to enforce severe religious restrictions on Christians and other denominations through the implementation of the Islamic Shari’a Law. 

The Taliban also considers Afghan Muslims who have converted to Christianity “apostates” and subject to the death penalty.

The USCIRF in Myanmar revealed that the February 2021 coup has internally displaced hundreds of thousands of people. This includes more than 100,000 individuals from the Christian-dominated Kaya State.

In China, the report indicated that the state government has “intensified the implementation of its multifaceted ‘sinicization of religion’” which demands religious groups follow the ideology and policies of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). 

Moreover, the Chinese government installed a Catholic bishop in April 2023 without Vatican approval, blatantly disregarding the Vatican-China agreement on prelate appointments. 

On top of that, state authorities “forcibly disappear and convict underground Catholic priests,” including two bishops who refused to join the state-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

In India, the USCIRF said the state government continues to reinforce discriminatory nationalist policies, perpetuate hateful rhetoric, and has failed to address communal violence, putting Christians and other denominations at serious risk.

Several NGOs also reported 687 incidents of violence against Christians in India in 2023.

In North Korea, the report stated how possession of Bibles and practicing of the faith lead to severe punishments, “including torture, forced labor, imprisonment, and execution,” due to the government’s view of Christians as “counter-revolutionaries” and “traitors.”

In Vietnam, the USCIRF noted how Vietnamese Catholics raised concerns that the government would maintain control over Catholic leaders and intervene with religious services, even with the existing Vatican-Vietnam agreement on appointing the country’s resident papal representative.

Harassment among Catholic priests in Vietnam is still rampant, as per the USCIRF’s report. They recorded how authorities prevented several Catholic priests from holding public religious services and activities last year.