Religious freedom advocates and diplomats speaking at the United Nations Human Rights Council warned that anti-Christian violence and legal pressure on believers are increasing across Europe, urging stronger global protections for freedom of religion.
The concerns were raised during a side event titled “Standing with Persecuted Christians, Defending the Faith and Christian Values,” held in Geneva during the council’s 61st session, according to a statement from the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe.
Anja Tang, executive director of the observatory, said her organization has recorded a growing number of incidents in which Christians face legal challenges related to the expression of their beliefs.
“Several European governments have targeted individuals through criminal procedures for peacefully expressing their religious beliefs,” Tang said.
Participants at the event also cited official data indicating that more than 760 anti-Christian hate crimes were documented across Europe in 2024, according to reporting referenced by Orthodox Times.
In addition, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, told attendees that the observatory had documented 2,211 violent incidents affecting Christians throughout Europe during the same period.
These incidents, speakers noted, included both physical attacks and legal actions taken against individuals for expressing their religious convictions.
Tang pointed to the 2024 killing of Assyrian Christian Aushur Sarnaya in France, which occurred during a livestream in which he was sharing his religious testimony. Authorities later confirmed the attack as jihadist-related. She also referenced legal proceedings involving Finnish Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen, who faced prosecution after citing the Bible during a public debate on social issues.
Other speakers highlighted cases in which laws and policies affecting religious expression have led to disputes in schools, conflicts over internal church governance or challenges to public acts of faith such as prayer or baptisms.
Tang also mentioned neutrality laws restricting references to religion in educational settings and legal conflicts that she said affect parental authority in schooling and the autonomy of religious communities.
Archbishop Balestrero emphasized that governments bear the primary responsibility to ensure the protection of religious freedom, including safeguarding individuals’ right to express and practice their beliefs publicly and privately without interference, according to Vatican News.
During the discussion, Balestrero said that nearly 400 million Christians worldwide experience persecution or violence and that roughly one in seven Christians is affected. He also reported that nearly 5,000 Christians were killed because of their faith in 2025 — an average of about 13 deaths each day.
The archbishop stressed that governments must act decisively to protect freedom of religion, including preventing violations by third parties and ensuring protection for believers before, during and after attacks. He added that impunity continues to be one of the most serious obstacles to addressing religious persecution globally.
