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Confronting Religious Persecution at the IRF Summit

Feb. 10Stories That Demand Action:

Last week I spoke on a panel at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Washington, D.C.—a global gathering that brings together advocates, policymakers, and legal experts from around the world who are on the front lines of defending religious freedom. The Summit provides a rare forum to share firsthand experiences, expose ongoing...More

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Christians in India

We reported last month that we sent a letter to President Biden requesting that he discuss the situation of Christian persecution in India with Prime Minister Modi during his visit to the White House in June 2023.

We specifically highlighted the May 2023 attacks by the predominantly Hindu Meiti tribe against the predominantly Christian Kuki tribe in the state of Manipur in India. Now a shocking video of two Kuki women being paraded naked by the Hindu mob armed with sticks, saws, and other weapons has surfaced.

The video was sent to the ACLJ by our contacts on the ground in India. However, it has been widely circulated on social media. In the horrifying video, the men are seen slapping the women and violently groping them. Both women were gang-raped. A third woman, not seen in the video, was also stripped naked.

During the attacks, which began on May 4, 2023, and in which about 140 people were murdered and about 60,000 displaced, these women were fleeing with their family after their village was attacked and burned down by a violent mob. The younger woman (21-year-old) was reportedly gang-raped in front of her father and brother, who were then beaten to death by the mob.

Since the attacks on May 4, many pleas have been made by local Christian communities and at the international level for the Indian government to take action. But no action was taken by the government. Specifically, on May 18, a police complaint was filed by the husband of one of the women. But the police took no action for two months.

One of the two women who were raped stated:

The police were there with the mob which was attacking our village. The police picked us up from near home, took us a little away from the village and left us on the road with the mob. We were given to them by the police.

According to our sources, the lack of any action by the police or other state authorities in Manipur is no surprise, as most higher officials and police officers belong to the Meiti community.

The government took action only after this video came to the surface on Wednesday, July 19 (after over two months), and the Supreme Court of India asked the government to take action. This is disturbing.

Prime Minister Modi, who had not made any statement about the May 4 violence, also spoke only after the outrage over the video.

Reportedly, four men have been arrested.

The ACLJ has been warning the United Nations for years that violence against Christian communities and indigenous tribes who convert to Christianity is increasing in India. We have filed report after report and made statement after statement. We have also sent a report to the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, providing detailed information about the background and history of Christian persecution in India.

It is very troubling that India has simply disregarded every call to end the religiously and ethnically motivated violence. It is also very troubling that it took a graphic video to surface for the government to take action. This type of violence is often ignored by the government. We hope that India will at least now take responsibility and not only severely punish the perpetrators but also put mechanisms in place to protect its vulnerable religious and ethnic minorities.

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Signatures

CeCe Heil  //

Mar 27, 2025

There has been a disturbing escalation in the persecution of Christians in India. Despite being a minority of 2.3% in a population of 1.4 billion , Christians in India face increasing hostility and violence.

Shaheryar Gill  //

Sep 18, 2023

Christians are facing increasing persecution and violence in the world’s most populous nation – India – and we’re taking direct action to defend them from this rapidly deteriorating human rights situation.

Jordan Sekulow  //

Jun 20, 2023

India, one of the largest trading partners with the United States, has been ranked as the eleventh worst place for Christians due to religious and ethnic persecution. Violent Hindu mobs attack Christians, kill...