(BP) — The Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea once again tops a list of countries where Christians suffer the most intense persecution. North Korea received 90 of a possible 100 points to lead the annual “World Watch List” compiled by Open Doors USA, a California-based ministry to persecuted Christians around the world.

It is the highest score a country has ever received in the ranking and the sixth consecutive year North Korea has topped the list, Open Doors President Carl Moeller told Mission Network News. Other countries identified as seriously violating the human rights of Christians in 2007 included China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, the Maldives, Bhutan, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Laos, Uzbekistan, Eritrea, and the Palestinian territories.