Religious Freedom Cannot Survive Without Democracy

For individuals around the globe, religious belief—or absence of it—is a defining element of identity, shaping how they view the world and understand their own place and purpose within it. However, freedom of religion or belief (FORB) often comes under attack, particularly where power is concentrated, checks and balances are lacking, accountability is weak, and democratic safeguards do not exist. Without guardrails, religious belief or nonbelief can be used as a tool of political control. Coalitions among governments, civil society, and faith communities can help protect this fundamental freedom.

Work by the Pew Research Center and other comparative studies has shown a link between weak democratic institutions and violations of religious freedom. At Freedom House, our Freedom in the World report has documented 20 years of decline in global freedom, underscoring the growing vulnerability of and deteriorating safeguards for many religious communities across the globe.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, religious freedom played a key role in the founding of the United States. Several of the original colonies were founded as safe havens for religious minorities in Europe who were escaping persecution. Given that history, the founders prioritized freedom of belief and nonbelief, and religious nondiscrimination. As the new country emerged independent, George Washington repeatedly sought to reassure Christian and Jewish communities that the federal government would not prevent them from practicing the religion of their choice. Early US diplomatic treaties with the Muslim states of North Africa disavowed any hostility toward the Islamic faith, with one pact affirming that “no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.”

Freedom of religion or belief is an essential component of a free society. Protecting this fundamental freedom requires more than recognition under the law: it demands strong democratic institutions, independent judiciaries, accountable governance, and a vibrant civil society.

Democracy is foundational to the protection of religious belief

Today in many countries religious freedom is not regarded as a fundamental right or constitutional principle. Democratic systems provide the necessary conditions for freedom of religion or belief to exist in practice rather than in theory. In democracies, religious minorities have opportunities to assert their rights, seek justice for discrimination or abuse, and rely on the courts, other institutions, and the rule of law to help prevent such violations. Democracy is foundational to protect freedom of religion or belief because the system allows accountability through impartial laws, independent courts, and robust media and civil society. Under these conditions, individuals and groups are able to worship freely, advocate or express dissent from within and outside their religious community, and change beliefs or choose nonbelief without fear of retaliation.

On the other hand, where power expands and oversight mechanisms collapse, many governments seek to retain or further amass control by interfering in religious life. In these contexts, religious minorities are often viewed as disloyal, foreign, or ideologically suspect. Without guardrails, religious belief and activities are treated as inherent security threats rather than as the actions of rights holders entitled to protection. Common tactics against targeted communities include regulating worship, privileging or discriminating against certain faiths or belief systems, linking religious identity with political loyalty, and criminalizing peaceful expression.

Without democracy, belief groups can be subject to extrajudicial violence in the absence of state protection, or because the state intentionally allows it. This can disproportionately harm religious minorities, dissenting believers, and those who fall outside state-approved or majority religious identities. In such nondemocratic contexts, belief is no longer treated as an inherent right, but as a conditional privilege granted to those who conform. The ability to exercise fundamental rights becomes contingent on religious alignment, and freedom of conscience is replaced by fear and obedience. Thus, an argument can be made that the treatment of religious or nonbelieving minorities is among the clearest indicators of democratic strength or weakness.

Discrimination and exclusion

In many contexts, violations of freedom of religion and belief do not manifest as blunt repression, but rather as subtle forms of discrimination or societal exclusion. These patterns can be embedded in legal frameworks, political practices, educational curriculums, and official religious policy, and translate into denial of fundamental civil and political rights.

In Egypt, for example, official rhetoric emphasizing religious unity has not translated into equal treatment for Coptic Christians, who continue to face exclusion from senior government positions, underrepresentation in security and prosecutorial institutions, and discriminatory administrative practices. There are also many cases of Egypt’s Copts being failed by institutions like the court system. In one emblematic case, an elderly Coptic Christian woman was publicly assaulted and stripped naked amid sectarian tensions in southern Egypt. Despite clear evidence and widespread public awareness, a court in 2020 acquitted all perpetrators. In a more recent case, a Coptic Christian minor with a mental disability was returned by an Egyptian court to her Muslim kidnapper in 2025, with the court justifying its decision by claiming it lacked jurisdiction over the case. The absence of accountability signals that minority lives, and dignity are treated as negotiable.

In Indonesia, religious minorities have faced persistent discrimination through legal, administrative, and social pressures. In Java, local authorities recently shut down a Christian prayer house, while plans to build a large church complex elsewhere on the island were blocked after local officials and community members opposed the project. In Yogyakarta, at least a dozen Christian graves were vandalized last year, highlighting social hostility toward minority religious communities.

Incidents illustrating how legal restrictions, administrative decisions, and societal hostility undermine the rights and safety of religious minorities are of course not limited to Christians in Egypt and Indonesia. Muslim, Bahá’í, Jewish, Ahmadi, Shi’a Muslim, and many other communities of believers are treated as outsiders in various parts of the world where governance structures favor a particular religious identity. In such systems, many affected individuals will sacrifice political and societal participation in order to protect their basic livelihood.

Legal oppression and violence

In other contexts, violations of religious freedom go far beyond subtle bias, discrimination, and exclusion and extend to draconian legal charges and even violence. Members of marginalized religious communities are especially vulnerable to these. Around the world, Freedom House has documented allegations of blasphemy, apostasy, and national security charges levied against religious minorities and nonbelievers in order to discourage peaceful speech and civic engagement that could challenge a regime’s control.

For example, in Russia, as well as Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, Jehovah’s Witnesses have faced severe persecution after authorities declared the group an extremist organization in 2017. Crimean Tatars are mostly Muslim, and many within the community had vocally opposed the Russian occupation of Crimea. They have similarly faced acute repression by occupation authorities. A well-known example is Server Mustafayev, a Crimean Tatar civic activist who helped families of detainees after the Russian military occupation. As a coordinator of Crimean Solidarity, he documented raids and supported political prisoners’ families. In 2018, he was arrested and later sentenced to 14 years in a Russian maximum-security prison on terrorism-related charges widely viewed as politically motivated.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) routinely punishes peaceful religious practices by Uyghur, Kazakh, and Hui Muslims under charges of religious extremism, and more broadly seeks to control all aspects of religious activity in the country through aggressive regulation and surveillance. Unregistered Protestant house churches face growing pressure in China, as authorities expand control over religious life outside the state-approved system. One of the most significant crackdowns in recent years targeted Zion Church, a large underground network that has refused state registration. Dozens of clergy and members were detained in 2025, and at least 18 leaders were formally arrested on charges including “illegal use of information networks.”

Groups that refuse to conform with state-sanctioned religious practice face persecution elsewhere as well. Blasphemy allegations are routinely deployed in Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan to stifle criticism, marginalize minority religious groups, reinforce political power, and exacerbate existing rifts between communities, often resulting in violent clashes and severe legal repercussions. Abuse during detention is common, while post-release harassment often leaves individuals with no viable option but exile. In many cases, exiles face transnational repression by their home governments: Chinese authorities, for example, have pursued Uyghurs in Thailand and harassed Tibetan Buddhists in Europe.

In some severely repressive environments, even majority religious communities have faced persecution when they’re perceived as threatening the state and official policy. In Nicaragua, religious faith-based organizations and leaders have come under sustained attack since 2018, when state forces and allied armed groups responded to a mass antigovernment movement with violence and repression—including against churches where protesters were sheltering. The regime has continued to target Catholic and protestant clergy and restrict religious expression.

Religious communities can also experience extrajudicial violence, which often exposes failures in governments’ ability to protect civilians and secure accountability for survivors. Since 2024, Freedom House documented more than 60 incidents of religiously motivated violence in Nigeria, killing approximately 150 people and destroying homes, churches, and farmlands. Similar instances have taken place in Benue, Kaduna, and Plateau States, including forced displacement, kidnappings, and torture explicitly linked to religious identity. In Pakistan, the August 2023 attacks on Christian communities in Jaranwala similarly illustrate authorities’ failure to protect civilians. Accountability was limited, and survivors were left without effective protection or legal remedies. Violent attacks against members of religious minorities have continued in India, where ruling-party members have engaged in discriminatory rhetoric against Muslims and other minority belief communities to bolster political support.

The civil society lifeline

Where the state fails to protect individuals and groups from violations of their religious freedom, it is also denying people the ability to participate and shape public life without fear. In such context, civil society remains a critical lifeline. Through rapid emergency assistance, relocation support, and protection for both survivors and human rights defenders—including those defending religious freedom—Freedom House has helped families regain safety, continue practicing their faith, and begin rebuilding their lives.

By leveraging its technical expertise, local staff, and trusted connections cultivated over decades to global human rights and religious freedom networks, Freedom House plays a critical role in addressing some of the world’s most urgent challenges to freedom of religion or belief. Since 2007, the organization has provided support to more than 27,000 human rights defenders and civil society organizations (CSOs) at risk due to their efforts to promote democracy and human rights in more than 170 countries. Among these cases, Freedom House has specifically addressed over 2,700 instances of religious persecution, providing assistance to 16,000 persecuted individuals across 56 countries. These individuals come from over 30 different religious communities, facing threats from both state and nonstate actors. Freedom House’s impact goes beyond simply providing life-saving emergency assistance: the support helps targeted individuals not only survive, but also regain stability, safety, and the freedom to practice their faith. For many, this life-saving assistance restores hope, demonstrating that even in the face of extreme violence, recovery and resilience are possible.

Importantly, Freedom House sees each case as an opportunity to strengthen civil society’s role in resisting authoritarianism and advancing democratic values. By empowering survivors, human rights defenders, and at-risk CSOs, Freedom House helps these groups build resilience and continue their essential work. These defenders and CSOs, in turn, become powerful advocates who stand against persecution and serve as models for others. Through their work, they send a clear message to perpetrators: their actions will not succeed in silencing persecuted groups. Instead, those persecuted will persist in fighting for their rights, inspiring others, and continuing to uphold democratic principles.

Take the case of Nguyễn Trung Tôn, for example, a Protestant pastor and human rights activist in Vietnam who has long worked to promote democracy and religious freedom. He courageously campaigned for the release of political prisoners and spoke out against the Formosa environmental disaster, when toxic waste dumped into the sea devastated coastal communities in central Vietnam. Because of his courage and determination, the authorities’ abuses were exposed and brought to public attention. Without defenders like him, many human rights violations would remain undocumented, allowing authorities to persecute activists and vulnerable communities with impunity.

Moving forward: How to protect freedom of religion and belief

Protecting religious freedom requires genuine political commitment and a willingness to rethink how we respond to persecution. In his recent speech at the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, DC, Ambassador Mike Waltz highlighted how the current international system isn’t working and needs to be reformed—the structures in place have not done enough to stop attacks on religious communities. For instance, governments like those in China, Egypt, Russia, Nicaragua, and elsewhere rarely face serious international pressure from organizations like the United Nations when they fail to protect belief communities or engage in persecution themselves. Governments need to be encouraged to protect religious freedom, penalize those who repress it, and ensure violators are held accountable for their actions.

As our latest Freedom in the World report underscores, the past 20 years have seen growing deterioration in global freedom, including religious freedom. The broader decline—including in advanced democracies—poses a grave threat to the fundamental right to freedom of religion or belief. Freedom House is committed to speaking out against all forms of religious intolerance, including the scourge of antisemitism, persecution of Christian communities, Islamophobia, and the many other forms of prejudice and hostility faced by belief communities around the world.

Responding to contemporary threats demands broader coalitions and more flexible strategies that involve governments, civil society, faith communities, and influential public actors who can elevate neglected crises and generate political pressure where formal processes have stalled. Expanding the range of partners involved is not a substitute for state responsibility, but a necessary complement.

Organizations like Freedom House play a critical role in translating policy into protection and integrating freedom of religion or belief into mainstream human rights advocacy, helping to reinforce it as a fundamental right. Its capacity to operate in high-risk environments, respond rapidly to emerging threats, and support both survivors and defenders ensures that protection strategies remain grounded in reality rather than abstraction.

Sustained cooperation with such actors strengthens early warning, improves accountability, and increases the likelihood that international commitments result in tangible safety for vulnerable communities. Without political will, institutional reform, and strong civil society engagement, democratic progress is unattainable, and freedom of religion or belief remains a principle without effective safeguards.