EU Parliament Spotlights Rising Persecution of Christians in South Asia

Members of the European Parliament, human rights advocates, and survivors of persecution gathered at the European Parliament to address the escalating violence and discrimination against Christian communities in South Asia.

 

The event “Targeted Violence against Christians in South Asia” was hosted by two Members of the EU Parliament, Matej Tonin and Bert-Jan Ruissen. The panel featured firsthand accounts from witnesses and experts, emphasizing the need for greater EU action on freedom of religion or belief.

 

Across South Asia, Christians endure violence, intimidation, and deepening marginalization simply for living out their faith. The EU must place the protection of religious minorities at the centre of its foreign policy.

 

Surge in Violence in India: “Two Attacks a Day”

 

Panelists described a sharp rise in targeted attacks on Christians in India. According to the United Christians Forum, more 600 incidents were recorded from January to October of 2025, averaging two per day, including mob assaults, public humiliation, church disruptions, and home demolitions.

 

Additionally, twelve Indian states have anti-conversion laws which are frequently misused to harass and criminalize peaceful religious practices.

 

In 2025 alone, 123 criminal complaints were filed against Christians, with several remaining imprisoned. Weekly, Christians face punishment, not for any wrongdoing, but for simply gathering, praying, or helping their neighbours. This comes despite the fact that India’s own Supreme Court has recently noted how the country’s anti-conversion laws are misused to prosecute Christians.

 

Pakistan: Abusive Blasphemy Laws Fuel Mob Violence

 

Speakers also addressed Pakistan’s severe blasphemy laws with some carrying mandatory death penalties.

 

In 2024, 344 new cases were registered disproportionately affecting Christians. Most often, these cases are based on false or coerced social media allegations.

 

Such accusations frequently lead to mob attacks, including the 2023 Jaranwala incident where over two dozen churches burned and the 2024 lynching of 74-year-old Christian Lazar (Nazir) Masih in Sargodha.

 

Shagufta Kausar, a survivor of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws whose case prompted a prior European Parliament urgency resolution, called for ongoing international vigilance: “Unless the international community acts, countless innocent people will continue to suffer under laws that are used to silence and destroy the most vulnerable.”

 

The Pakistani Christian couple Shagufta and Shafqat spent seven years on death row over false blasphemy charges. Their death sentences were overturned by the Lahore High Court in June 2021, and they later relocated to Europe amid threats.

 

Forced Conversions and Marriages

 

Reports from civil society and government sources highlight forced conversions and marriages disproportionately impacting Hindu and Christian girls and young women, particularly in Pakistan’s Sindh and Punjab provinces.

 

According to Ijaz Masih, a former minister for human rights and minorities affairs in Punjab and current Member of the Punjab Assembly: “Despite fierce opposition by religious groups, the federal government and the provincial government of Balochistan have taken a bold initiative by raising the legal age for marriage for both genders to 18 years. A similar legislation is pending approval in the Punjab Provincial Assembly since April 2024. I’m quite hopeful that after its passage, we will have a legal safeguard against the forced faith conversion of minor Christian girls as conversion and Islamic marriage is used by the perpetrators to give cover to their sexual crimes,.”

 

Shrinking Religious Freedom in Neighboring Countries

 

Beyond India and Pakistan, restrictions are tightening regionally. In Sri Lanka, religious nationalism drove at least 39 incidents of threats, intimidation, or worship disruptions in 2025, including monk-led protests against Christian services. Nepal has also increased monitoring of Christian activities, with arrests and expulsions of foreign missionaries. Meanwhile, Bangladesh has continued to face rural attacks and harassment against Christians.

 

Calls for Stronger EU Response

 

Ultimately, the panel urged the EU to leverage diplomatic, political, and economic tools such as human rights dialogues, aid conditionality, and trade incentives, to tackle these violations.

 

Co-host MEP Matej Tonin emphasized: “The EU should be the promoter of Freedom of Religion or Belief worldwide, we need to show it through facts, not words. The #EU has the tools to prevent the persecution of Christians around the world, and this was the key conclusion of the event.”

 

“Political pressure from the European Parliament is important, but the EU also has powerful economic tools in its hands to pressure governments into ensuring religious freedom and stopping persecution. Christians are today the most persecuted religious group in the world, and it is vital that we speak about this publicly and loudly.”

 

The EU should continually intensify its efforts to protect freedom of religion or belief around the world, it has the mandate and the means to act after all. One way they can do just that is by reappointing a Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU. Anything less than this reveals a lack of urgency on the EU’s part.

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