By Luke Booker, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Myanmar since a military coup overthrew the government was the focus of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) hearing held in late February, according to a leading Christian advocacy group.
Following the February 1, 2021 military coup, Myanmar’s Christian population has endured escalating persecution. Under the control of the State Administration Council (SAC), religious minorities—including Christians—have been targeted through arrests, killings, and the destruction of churches.
In his opening remarks at the hearing, USCIRF Vice Chair Meir Soloveichik noted, “over the past four years, Myanmar has sunk into a human rights and humanitarian abyss.”
Soloveichik highlighted, “on Jan. 7, 2024, the military launched airstrikes in the Sagaing region, killing 17 civilians, including nine children, at Saint Peter Baptist Church in Kanan village.” He noted that this is just one example of many reported incidents where Christians are being persecuted for their faith.
According to the USCIRF, Christian pastor Thian Lian Sang has been detained by authorities since his arrest in September 2021 due to his “leadership role” as a Baptist pastor. In December 2022, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison, the International Christian Concern reported.
At the hearing, Salai Za Uk Ling, executive director of the Chin Human Rights Association, testified about the severe conditions for Christians in the country.
“Since the military coup in Burma (Myanmar) four years ago, we have witnessed a systematic campaign of religious persecution, particularly targeting the Christian population in Chin State,” Ling told the commission.
“These actions include the destruction of churches, the unlawful killing and enforced disappearance of pastors, the arrest of religious leaders, and severe restrictions on free worship and assembly.”
Myanmar is ranked 13th on Open Doors’ World Watch List in 2025, which identifies the 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Iran has deployed regular army special forces into northern Iraq, carrying out a series of ground raids against Iranian Kurdish opposition groups as Tehran moves to eliminate forces it views as a potential threat to the Islamic Republic.
Egyptian authorities have executed the man convicted of murdering a Coptic Orthodox priest, bringing to a close a case that shocked Egypt’s Christian community more than four years after the fatal attack, Worthy News learned Tuesday
Hungary’s only nuclear power plant was operating at just over 10 percent of capacity Tuesday after narrowly avoiding an unprecedented complete shutdown, while neighboring Romania used military explosives to clear a rocky obstruction and improve water flow to its own nuclear station during an intense heatwave.
The United States has expanded its intelligence presence in Cuba as the Trump administration presses Havana’s communist government to accept sweeping reforms or surrender its grip on power, according to a Politico report.
British businessman Samuel Leeds has pledged to fund legal representation for Christian street preachers who face police action for publicly sharing their faith.
Seven Christians in India’s Madhya Pradesh state have been sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment following accusations that they used a child’s birthday party to conduct unlawful religious conversions.
Israel and Lebanon will resume U.S.-brokered talks in Rome on Tuesday, with negotiators seeking to turn a fragile diplomatic framework into meaningful security gains along Israel’s northern border.