International Human Rights Attorney Kelsey Zorzi to Join Christian Persecution Summit

Staff Writer
Oct 29
2 min read

Kelsey Zorzi is set to speak at CPAC's Christian Persecution Summit on October 30, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the Terrace Theatre, representing the frontline of international legal advocacy for persecuted Christians worldwide.

As Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom with ADF International, Zorzi leads efforts to address and counter global persecution against Christians and other religious minorities. Based in Washington, D.C., Zorzi engages with a multinational network of attorneys, government officials, and international bodies to coordinate efforts aimed at challenging legal barriers to religious freedom and reasserting religious freedom as foundational to the international human rights framework.

In 2018, she was elected president of the United Nations' NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief. Zorzi earned her J.D. at the George Washington University Law School, where she participated in the GW-Oxford International Human Rights Law Program. Her work has appeared in several publications, including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, and Real Clear Politics. She is admitted to the state bars in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Zorzi's advocacy translates into tangible legal action that saves lives and challenges oppressive systems targeting Christians. She is currently supporting the landmark case of Yahaya Sharif-Aminu before Nigeria's Supreme Court, a Sufi musician sentenced to death for sharing WhatsApp messages about his faith. Zorzi explains the stakes: "Yahaya's case is incredibly important as it has the potential to overturn blasphemy laws that threaten the rights of all religious minorities in Nigeria. We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will finally declare these blasphemy laws to be unconstitutional and in direct violation of international human rights law."

Zorzi's work extends across continents. She condemned Türkiye's discriminatory targeting and expulsion of nine foreign Christian religious workers who had peacefully lived in the country for years, calling it "a clear violation of both the European Convention on Human Rights and the international covenants." When Pakistani Christian communities faced severe mob violence, Zorzi declared: "The scale and severity of the attacks against Christians in Pakistan is unconscionable. Nobody should be persecuted for living out their faith, and all who are able need to speak out and condemn these targeted attacks on the minority Christian community." Most recently, she supported a congressional resolution condemning Christian persecution in Muslim-majority countries, stating: "Year after year, Christians remain the most persecuted religious group worldwide, especially in many Muslim-majority countries. We applaud the resolution for recognizing this grave reality and urging U.S. action. When Christians are being killed, silenced, or driven underground, we cannot look the other way."

At the Summit, attendees will learn from an attorney who doesn't just document persecution—she fights it in courtrooms, challenges it before the United Nations, and mobilizes international pressure to protect vulnerable Christians.