By Abby Seiff
The deplorable treatment of Rohingya in Myanmar, anti-Christian and Muslim campaigns in China, and wholesale repression in North Korea saw the three Asian nations again top an annual U.S. government list of countries with the least religious freedom.
Released on May 2, the report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom rates Myanmar, China and North Korea among nine of the most severe violators — on an unranked list that includes Saudi Arabia and Iran. Vietnam is also listed as a “country of particular concern.”
On lower tiers, but also noted as countries being monitored, are India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia and Bangladesh.
In China, Christians and Muslims have both faced a steady barrage of abuse at the hands of state authorities. The report cites the case of pastor Bao Guohua—who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for opposing a government cross-removal campaign—as well as that of Uighur scholarIlham Tohti, who was sentenced to life in prison on “separatism” charges.
“Christian communities have borne a significant brunt of the oppression, with numerous churches bulldozed and crosses torn down. Uighur Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists continue to be repressed, and the Chinese government has asserted its own authority to select the next Dalai Lama,” the report notes.
Both China and Myanmar have been on the State Department list of designated “countries of particular concern” since 1999.
While Myanmar made strides in freedom and human rights last year thanks to its unprecedented election, religious repression continues to worsen.
The report highlights the four highly controversial laws on race and religion passed last year, as “bills that not only effectively disenfranchised as many as 1 million Rohingya, but also denied them the right to contest the elections.”
The report notes that Kachin Christians have been heavily affected by military clashes, but primarily highlight the situation of the country’s Rohingya Muslim population, for whom “the abuses were particularly severe.”
“Instead of protecting those most in need, like the Rohingya, Burma’s government intensified its isolation and marginalization of vulnerable groups, leaving hundreds of thousands internally displaced and without basic necessities.”
North Korea, which has been on the list for 14 years, continues to “reserve its most severe persecution for Christians.” Though the nation’s closed status means figures are hard to come by, the report estimates that tens of thousands of Christians face hard labor or execution in prison.
In Vietnam, those practicing unrecognized versions of all religions but particularly Protestantism, face harassment, imprisonment and physical abuse.
The report presented a mixed bag, however, noting that the situation facing Catholics represented a rare positive step.
“Relations between the Vietnamese government and the Vatican improved in 2015, with Vatican prefect Cardinal Fernando Filoni visiting Hanoi in January and Pope Francis naming Pierre Nguyen Van Nhon as Vietnam’s newest cardinal. The Vietnamese government also approved a new Catholic university centered around a theological institute, and government officials highlighted to USCIRF the expanding opportunities for charitable and social work by the Catholic Church.”
Paul Tranh Minh Nhat, a Christian activist who has been arrested and attacked on numerous occasions called the report a good start but said it only scratched the surface.
“It would be better if the report was longer and more detail[ed]. In fact, the reality is worse than what USCIRF have known. I myself am the victim of these injustices and endured even more terrible persecutions.”
This article was originally published by UCA News.
