“Christians around the world are facing the worst levels of persecution for their faith since persecution watchdog Open Doors began recording such acts nearly 30 years ago. Open Doors’ new 2023 World Watch List, released this week, showed that in 50 countries around the globe, Christians are facing record levels of persecution for their beliefs. North Korea returned to the top spot on the list amid a jump in arrests of Christians under the country’s ‘anti-reactionary thought’ law. This law defines a range of behaviors considered illegal, such as listening to foreign radio and distributing ‘impure’ foreign recordings or other media. The ban includes the Bible. Wybo Nicolai, a former Open Doors global field director who launched the World Watch List in 1993, said the high level of persecution has nearly doubled since that first list. The top 10 on the 2023 list are North Korea, followed by Somalia, Yemen, Eritrea, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and Sudan.”
“Christian Persecution,” Christian Headlines, Jan. 18, 2023
