Rachel: Advocating for freedom of religion and belief is an important part of human rights policy
(Bonn/Berlin, 15.10.2025) “People of various religions and beliefs suffer defamation, discrimination, and persecution because of their faith. We want to contribute to putting a stop to the enemies of freedom of belief and conscience,“ said Prof. Thomas Schirrmacher, President of the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR), at the presentation of the yearbooks on “Religious Freedom 2025” and on “Persecution and Discrimination of Christians 2025” in Berlin today.
Schirrmacher, who is also the founder and co-editor of the yearbooks, went on to say:
“The fact that Christian minorities in particular suffer persecution on a global scale is due, on the one hand, to dictatorial states under single-party rule such as China, Cuba, and North Korea, which view Christians as a threat and therefore take measures to strictly monitor and oppress them. On the other hand, Christians are victims of militant political-religious movements or groups. They suffer discrimination in professional and social life, violent attacks, kidnappings, expulsions, and abuse. They remain victims without effective state protection because there is no rule of law. Christians in Egypt, Syria, Nigeria, India, and Myanmar suffer particularly under such conditions. Thirdly, there are states such as the Islamic republics of Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan, which have tied their social order to a religion in a totalitarian manner and ruthlessly enforce their religious-political coercive order with state resources. In all these states, Christians suffer, and with them other religious communities. We must not be indifferent to this! For our commitment to the victims can only be credible and ultimately successful if we do not focus solely on one group of victims while ignoring others. At the same time, the motives of the oppressors must be analyzed and made public. This is what the enemies of freedom of belief and conscience fear most and what can put a stop to their activities.”
Giving greater consideration to the role of religion in international politics
The Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion and Belief, Thomas Rachel, Member of the German Bundestag, pointed out that advocating for freedom of religion and belief is an important part of the Federal Government’s human rights policy and mutually strengthens human rights as a whole. Furthermore, respect for freedom of religion and belief is an important contribution to strengthening peace and stability in the world. Where this freedom is disregarded, conflicts and violence can arise. This is another reason why dialogue with and between religious communities is so important.
If the factor of religion were given greater consideration in international politics, this could often be an opportunity for peace. In secularized Europe, this may seem strange in view of the rising number of people leaving the church and growing criticism of churches, but in the everyday life of a large part of the world’s population, religion continues to be of central importance. The resulting blind spots in Western societies carry the risk of failing to include a central motivation for action for many people in the analysis of important foreign and human rights policy issues, thus leading to incomplete or erroneous conclusions.
Speaking up for those whose voices are not heard
Lars Rohwer, chairman of the Stephanuskreis of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, emphasized:
“For me, as a citizen who values our democratic order, one thing is clear: the freedom we enjoy also comes with obligations. Because Germany has a voice in the world—and that voice should speak up for those who are not heard themselves. Religious freedom means that every religion and every worldview has its place.
Every person is free to decide for themselves what they believe in—or whether they do not want to adopt any faith. We cannot remain indifferent to the fact that this right is under pressure worldwide. Where religion can be practiced freely, forces emerge that strengthen the coexistence of all. Sometimes you don’t have to look far to see this. Often, a glance outside our own front door is enough to see a valuable example of what religion can achieve in communities.
In Saxony, my home state, religious ties have remained weak since the years of the GDR. After reunification, these secular developments continued and became more entrenched. Today, populist parties are achieving particularly high election results in eastern Germany. Is this a coincidence? Perhaps. But I wonder whether the lack of a common spiritual foundation also creates space for mistrust, fear, and division. A living faith anchors values—not only in political debates, but deep in the heart—and can thus undermine populism and make people less susceptible to voices that promise simple answers.”
The Kremlin abuses the Russian Orthodox Church as a political instrument
Johann Matthies, political representative of the Evangelical Alliance in Germany, pointed to the suffering of Ukrainian Christians:
“Over the past three decades, Ukrainian Christians have contributed significantly to the formation of national identity by combining historical and cultural traditions with a living faith.
The peaceful coexistence of Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant denominations promoted religious pluralism and prevented any one church from gaining a dominant position—in contrast to Russia, where the Kremlin abuses the Russian Orthodox Church as a political instrument. After the occupation of Crimea and parts of Donbas in 2014, the Russian authorities began systematically persecuting religious communities that operated independently of Moscow – especially Christians who belonged to evangelical free churches. Despite repressive laws and constant threats, many believers secretly held on to their faith and showed extraordinary steadfastness.
In the occupied territories of southern and eastern Ukraine, Russian occupation authorities are specifically targeting Ukrainian religious communities: they are pressuring churches to cooperate or destroying them if they refuse. By the end of 2022 at the latest, all churches engaged in humanitarian or missionary work had been banned. Pastors were not allowed to hold services or register new congregations. By mid-2023, almost all independent religious communities in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions had been closed, with the exception of those that were forcibly placed under the authority of the Russian Orthodox Church.”
The 2025 yearbooks are available now
The yearbook on “Persecution and Discrimination of Christians 2025”and the yearbook on “Religious Freedom 2025” are now available at https://iirf.global/jahrbuch/ for free download and for free distribution and publication on other websites.
The yearbooks are also being made available to all members of the German Bundestag by the Evangelical Alliance in Germany. The same applies in Switzerland and Austria. Additional copies for distribution to politicians and church leaders can be requested.
The yearbooks are published by Thomas Schirrmacher, Martin Lessenthin and Martin Warnecke on behalf of the Working Group for Religious Freedom of the Evangelical Alliance in Germany and Austria, the Working Group for Religious Freedom of the Swiss Evangelical Alliance, the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF) and the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR).
The printed version is published by Culture and Sience Publishing (VKW). Both yearbooks are bound together in a reversible book and are available in bookstores for 14 Euro. Each yearbook begins on a different side of the cover.
Bibliographic information
- Thomas Schirrmacher, Martin Lessenthin and Martin Warnecke (eds.). Jahrbuch Verfolgung und Diskriminierung von Christen 2025 [Yearbook on Persecution and Discrimination of Christians 2025]. Studies on Religious Freedom, Vol. 43. Culture and Sience Publ. (VKW): Bonn, 2025. ISBN 978-3-86269-331-3. Pb. 360 pp.
- Thomas Schirrmacher, Martin Lessenthin and Martin Warnecke (eds.). Jahrbuch Religionsfreiheit 2025 [Yearbook on Religious Freedom 2025]. Studies on Religious Freedom, Vol. 44. Culture and Sience Publ. (VKW): Bonn, 2025. ISBN 978-3-86269-332-0. Pb. 248 pp.
Downloads and Links
- Photo 1 (from left): Matthias Böhning (ISHR Secretary General), Volker Beck (President of the German-Israeli Society), Lars Rohwer, Member of the German Parliament (Chairman of the Stephanus Circle of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group), Martin Lessenthin (human rights expert, historian, and co-editor of the yearbooks), Thomas Rachel, Member of the German Bundestag (Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion and Belief), Thomas Schirrmacher (President of the International Institute for Religious Freedom and founding editor of the yearbooks) and Johann Matthies (Political Representative of the Evangelical Alliance in Germany) during the press conference © BQ/Martin Warnecke
- Photo 2 (from left): Lars Rohwer, Member of the German Bundestag (Chairman of the Stephanus Circle of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group), Martin Lessenthin (human rights expert, historian, and co-editor of the yearbooks), Thomas Rachel, Member of the German Bundestag (Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion and Belief), Thomas Schirrmacher (President of the International Institute for Religious Freedom and founding editor of the yearbooks), and Johann Matthies (Political Representative of the Evangelical Alliance in Germany) during the press conference © BQ/Martin Warnecke
- Photo 3: Thomas Schirrmacher during the presentation of the yearbook Persecution and Discrimination of Christians 2025 © BQ/Martin Warnecke
- Photo 4: Thomas Rachel, Member of the German Bundestag (Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion and Belief) during his speech © BQ/Martin Warnecke
- Photo 5: Lars Rohwer, Member of the German Bundestag (Chair of the Stephanus Circle of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group) during his speech © BQ/Martin Warnecke
- Photo 6: Volker Beck (President of the German-Israeli Society) during his speech © BQ/Martin Warnecke
- Photo 7: Martin Lessenthin (human rights expert, historian, and co-editor of the yearbooks) during his speech © BQ/Martin Warnecke
- Photo 8: Shirin Kamal (board member of the Coptic human rights organization EUCHOR) during her speech via video conference © BQ/Martin Warnecke
- Photo 9: Alina Braml (Baha’i community in Iran and Egypt) during her contribution via video conference © BQ/Martin Warnecke
- Photo 10: Johann Matthies (political representative of the Evangelical Alliance in Germany) during his contribution © BQ/Martin Warnecke
- Photo 11 (from left): Matthias Böhning (ISHR Secretary General), Volker Beck (President of the German-Israeli Society), Martin Lessenthin (human rights expert, historian, and co-editor of the yearbooks), Thomas Rachel, Member of the German Parliament (Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion and Belief), Thomas Schirrmacher (President of the International Institute for Religious Freedom and founding editor of the yearbooks) and Johann Matthies (Political Representative of the Evangelical Alliance in Germany) after the press conference © BQ/Martin Warnecke
- Yearbook on Persecution and Discrimination of Christians 2025: https://iirf.global/?p=6401
- Yearbook on Religious Freedom 2025: https://iirf.global/?p=6393
- Overview of all yearbooks published to date: https://iirf.global/jahrbuch/
- Statement on the yearbook on Persecution and Discrimination of Christians 2025 by Thomas Schirrmacher: https://bonner-querschnitte.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025-10-15-PK-Statement.pdf
