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Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) commends the State Department on the release of its 2022 International Religious Freedom Report.
“Across the world, millions experience discrimination, harassment, imprisonment, violence, and other gross human rights violations for peacefully exercising their freedom of religion or belief. The International Religious Freedom Report is an invaluable tool in the fight to hold violators accountable and improve global religious freedom conditions,” said USCIRF Chair Nury Turkel. “We thank all who work tirelessly to document these conditions. With this report, the State Department shows the entire world that the United States is committed to the fundamental value of religious freedom.”
Pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), the State Department is required to prepare this annual report on religious freedom conditions in every country. IRFA further mandates that within 180 days from the release of the report, the State Department announce the countries that will be designated as countries of particular concern (CPC) or placed on its Special Watch List (SWL), and the nonstate actors that will be designated as entities of concern (EPC).
“The administration and Congress must now use this body of evidence to pressure governments to protect religious freedom and penalize with tangible consequences those that blatantly continue to commit egregious violations. National interest waivers for CPCs give them little incentive to improve religious freedom conditions,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Abraham Cooper. “We urge the State Department to prioritize religious freedom policy in all bilateral relations and develop strategies to address religious freedom violations, including in countries not designated.”
The State Department’s annual International Religious Freedom Report covers nearly 200 countries, 28 of which are analyzed in USCIRF’s 2023 Annual Report on the world’s worst offenders against freedom of religion or belief. In that report, USCIRF recommended that in 2023, the State Department designate 17 countries as CPCs, place 11 countries on its SWL, and designate 7 violent non-state groups as EPCs.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a commissioner, please contact USCIRF at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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