By News Ghana
Published March 5, 2026

             A bipartisan congressional commission held a hearing in Washington on Thursday calling on the Trump administration to use its 2026 Group of Twenty (G20) presidency to champion religious freedom and free speech, with particular focus on the mass killing of Christians in Nigeria and the growing threat of state-sponsored censorship globally.

             The hearing, convened by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, explored how the Trump administration can elevate human rights issues in connection with the G20 presidency ahead of the Leaders’ Summit scheduled for Miami, Florida, on 14 to 15 December 2026.

             Republican Co-Chairman Chris Smith, opening the session, highlighted Nigeria as the single most urgent case for the forum to address. He cited Open Doors data indicating that approximately 25,000 Christians have been killed for their faith globally over the past five years, with the great majority of those deaths occurring in Nigeria. Smith praised President Donald Trump for publicly stating that Christianity faces an existential threat in Nigeria and for taking steps to address the situation, calling it a moment where G20 solidarity could translate into concrete protective action.

             Smith also proposed that the Trump administration formally recognise the Religion 20 (R20) as a permanent G20 Engagement Group. The R20 was first incorporated into the official G20 programme during Indonesia’s 2022 presidency, marking the first time the forum formally acknowledged that religion can function as a source of global solutions rather than merely a source of conflict. The R20 communiqué issued in Bali called for a global alliance founded on shared civilizational values and urged the prevention of identity-based political violence.

             On free speech, Smith warned that a growing “censorship-industrial complex” involving governments, technology platforms, and non-governmental organisations was suppressing religious and political expression in multiple G20 countries, arguing this had direct economic consequences by distorting information flows that businesses and financial markets depend upon.

             The Trump administration has outlined a narrow three-theme agenda for the Miami summit: removing regulatory burdens, unlocking affordable energy supply chains, and pioneering new technologies. Topics including climate change, debt relief, inequality, and sustainability have been excluded from the formal agenda.

             Ghana, as a predominantly Christian nation in sub-Saharan Africa with close ties to both the United States and Nigeria, has an interest in the outcome of any G20 commitment on the protection of religious minorities and the framework governing cross-border digital expression.


This article was published on March 5, 2026 and can be found online at: https://www.newsghana.com.gh/us-lawmakers-push-to-put-christian-persecution-on-g20-agenda/#google_vignette