High-Level FoRB Meeting Urges Action on Global Persecution and Western Restrictions

Posted on: November 13, 2025

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Governmental and non-governmental religious freedom representatives met on the margins of this year’s High-Level Conference of the Article 18 Alliance (A18A) in Prague, held under the auspices of the President of the Czech Republic, to discuss responses to recent reports by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe), and Hungary Helps, confirming a troubling global rise in Christian persecution and discrimination. 

Moderated by Prof. Mark Hill KC, Member of the Council of Experts of the Article 18 Alliance and Distinguished Global Professor of Law at Notre Dame University, London, the panel concluded with announcing a declaration affirming religious freedom for all—including those who uphold traditional religious teachings on human nature, which will be presented to member states. 

Marcela Szymanski, Head of International Advocacy at ACN International, presented findings from ACN’s report Religious Freedom in the World 2025, showing that 5.4 billion people—about 65% of the global population—live in countries with serious or very serious violations of religious freedom. According to ACN, this sharp decline in global religious freedom is driven by regional conflicts, the resurgence of authoritarian regimes, jihadist terrorism, and mass migration. “Behind many of the global religious freedom violations are power-thirsty autocrats, who pressure religious freedom leaders to either adopt their own views or face extinction”, summarised Szymanski referring to countries like Venezuela and Russia. The report also noted increasing restrictions on conscientious objection and attacks on Christian sites in Western nations.

Anja Tang, Executive Director of OIDAC Europe, echoed these concerns, citing OIDAC’s recent findings on anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe. She noted that violent incidents—including the murder of an Assyrian Christian refugee in France and the killing of a Spanish monk in an attack on a monastery—have not received sufficient recognition in public discourse. Tang also referred to a growing number of legal cases that restrict believers’ rights to express their convictions: “An increasing number of Christians in Europe are facing prosecution for peacefully expressing their beliefs or traditional Christian teachings on moral issues,” Tang observed. “While courts sometimes uphold their rights, this often happens only after lengthy and costly legal battles, which serve as punishment in themselves.”

Todd Huizinga, former U.S. diplomat, author, and co-founder of the Transatlantic Christian Council, presented recent U.S. initiatives to strengthen religious freedom, including the establishment of a Religious Liberty Commission and a Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias. According to Huizinga, freedom to express and live out traditional Christian teaching has been increasingly restricted by a “post-Christian moral orthodoxy”, which was exemplified in the findings of the Task Force’s first report.

Márk Aurél Érszegi, Special Advisor for Religion and Diplomacy at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, recalled that the Ministry’s dedicated office was deliberately named “for the aid to persecuted Christians” to raise awareness in a Western diplomatic context that rarely acknowledges Christian persecution. Through the Hungary Helps Program, this office provides targeted financial support to affected Christian communities—helping survivors and strengthening local resilience. “Even smaller countries can make a real difference on the ground,” he noted, calling for greater international cooperation, particularly in Central Europe.

The discussion also drew on the ODIHR/OSCE Guide “Understanding Anti-Christian Hate Crimes and Addressing the Security Needs of Christian Communities”, which calls for better security measures for churches and individuals, and warns that “anti-Christian hate crimes do not take place in a vacuum,” but may be fuelled by “political discourse and narratives that perpetuate anti-Christian bias and stereotypes.”

In response to these challenges, participants emphasized the need for Article 18 Alliance member states to address the issue directly and reaffirm their commitment to protecting freedom of religion or belief for all. As Todd Huizinga announced on behalf of the organizers, a declaration affirming religious freedom for all—including those who uphold traditional religious teachings on marriage, family, and human nature—will be submitted to Article 18 member states for consideration.

“We believe this statement could have a real effect—not only in safeguarding religious freedom for all, but also in strengthening mutual understanding, tolerance, and peace in our pluralistic societies,” Huizinga stated.

The event was co-organized by Aid to the Church in Need (Königstein), the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (Brussels), the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (Vienna), the Religious Freedom Institute (Washington, D.C.) and the Hungarian State Secretariat for the Aid to Persecuted Christians (Budapest).