USCIRF Asks US State Dept. To Add Four Countries To List Of Countries Of Particular Concern Over Religious Freedom Violations

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has asked the United States Department of State to add four nations to its list of Countries of Particular Concern over extreme religious freedom violations.

As per The Christian Post, the USCIRF asked the Department of State to add India, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam to its Special Watchlist or be designated as Countries of Particular Concern list based on its latest annual report.

The USCIRF stressed that these countries have previously been recommended for the list and designation but the Department of State still hasn't added them. The Department of State is said to come out with a decision on the matter this month.

The commission reiterated its recommendations in a statement released on Friday, Nov. 5. The recommendations come after the said countries violated the provisions stipulated in the International Religious Freedom Act.

"With the U.S. Department of State's designations expected this month, this factsheet reiterates USCIRF's recommendations to the State Department regarding countries that should be designated as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) or placed on its Special Watchlist (SWL) based on religious freedom conditions in 2020," the commission said.

"For the 2020 reporting period, USCIRF recommended four countries for CPC status that the State Department did not previously designate and 10 countries for the SWL that the State Department did not have on that list," it emphasized.

The USCIRF initially asked the State Department in April to designate India as a Country of Particular Concern since its very government continues to tolerate violations on religious freedom. The rise in religious freedom violations began when Prime Minister Modi rose in power in 2014 alongside with the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is a nationalist Hindu group. India is ranked 10 by Open Doors USA for having the worst Christian persecutions in the world.

According to USCIRF, the countries Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan are to be added in the SWL. The summary of violations committed in these countries, and the justification for the commission's recommendations, can be seen in its 2020 report.

"The factsheet explains the types of violations set forth in the International Religious Freedom Act that, if perpetrated or tolerated by a foreign government, should result in the State Department designating it as a CPC or placing it on the SWL," the USCIRF said.

"It also presents analysis on the 14 countries recommended by USCIRF, including a summary of the religious freedom violations in 2020 and major developments so far in 2021 that reflect the overall conditions justifying the designation," they elaborated.

Afghanistan was added to the SWL in October due to the decline in religious freedom in the country after the Taliban takeover. The commission raised that non-Islamic religions in Afghanistan now "face grave threats" due to the Taliban's "harsh and strict interpretation of Islam.

Countries of Particular Concern are defined by the International Religious Freedom Act "as countries where the government engages in or tolerates 'particularly severe' violations of religious freedom." The IRFA, on the other hand, defines countries for the Special Watchlist as "countries where the government engages in or tolerates 'severe' violations of religious freedom."