Same 8 regimes named worst religious liberty violators
- Nov 15, 2005
The U.S. State Department has named the same eight governments to its list of the world’s worst violators of religious freedom for the second consecutive year.
On Nov. 8, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Vietnam had been redesignated as “countries of particular concern” (CPCs), a classification reserved for governments practicing or permitting particularly severe violations of religious freedom.
The State Department, however, refused to include three other countries—Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan—recommended for CPC designation by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a bipartisan panel that advises the executive branch and Congress.
“The omission of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan from the CPC list is particularly troubling and a discredit to Congress’ intent in passing the International Religious Freedom Act,” USCIRF Chairman Michael Cromartie said in a written release. “Turkmenistan, among the most repressive states in the world today, allows virtually no independent religious activity. The government of Uzbekistan places strict restrictions on religious practice and continues to crack down harshly on individuals and groups that operate outside of government-controlled religious organizations.”
The State Department is in late-stage discussions with one or two possible CPCs and could make additions to the list at any time, said John Hanford, ambassador at large for international religious freedom.
The CPC list is dominated by communist and Islamic regimes. China, North Korea and Vietnam have communist-controlled governments, while Iran, Saudi Arabia and Sudan have Muslim-dominated regimes.
ERLC President Richard Land is a commissioner on the nine-member USCIRF.
The State Department’s full report may be accessed online at http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/ .
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