Human Rights Experts Warn of Global Pressure on Religious Freedom

Child standing in flooded camp with tents behind tents — mohamad azaam / Unsplash

Human rights experts report that religious freedom worldwide remains under pressure.

According to the yearbooks Religious Freedom 2026 and Persecution and Discrimination of Christians, the situation in 2026 has either worsened compared to previous years or remained consistently bad. The situation has become particularly acute in China, Cuba, Egypt, Pakistan, and Iran.

Experts warn that rulers are abusing faith for political purposes. There is an increase in populist instrumentalisations of religious identity or narratives used to restrict the freedom of religion and belief. Russia is specifically noted for an intensifying trend of using faith as an ideological weapon and to legitimate war crimes.

Human rights specialists state that wars and political tensions allow perpetrators to more easily hide oppression, discrimination, and persecution. They further suggest that democratic states are losing sight of the suffering of those affected.

In Africa, the killing of Christians, moderate Muslims, and members of traditional religions by Islamist extremists is continuing to spread. In China, specialists report a massive restriction of religious freedom, though this is rarely addressed clearly by politicians.

The yearbooks are published by the International Institute for Religious Freedom, the International Society for Human Rights, and the working groups for religious freedom of the Evangelical Alliances. Other organizations calling for the defense of religious freedom include Aid to the Church in Need.