A federal religious freedom commission urged the State Department to expand its list of religious freedom violators.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom encouraged the State Department to mark India, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam as “Countries of Particular Concern” in a statement earlier this month.
“The additional countries USCIRF recommends for CPC designation include India, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam,” the commission said in a press release. “The additional countries USCIRF recommends for the [Special Watchlist] include Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.”
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Several reports have indicated the growing Hindu nationalist government has created tension around India’s local Muslim, Sikh, and Christian communities.
While Russia has a strong Russian Orthodox community, Jehovah’s Witnesses have come under growing scrutiny from the Russian government. Select parts of Russia, such as Chechnya, have also pushed a strict form of Islam that encourages discrimination and violence against gay and lesbian people and women.
Syria has also become an area of concern as extremist groups such as the Islamic State continue to assault the Christian communities, often forcing conversions and threatening local churches.
During the pandemic, Vietnamese authorities have discriminated against Hmong and Montagnard Christians. Some officials have reportedly assaulted, detained, and confiscated property from these religious communities. Authorities have also interfered with Buddhist activities regularly.
Countries designated CPCs have engaged in “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of the internationally recognized right to freedom of religion,” such as prolonged detention without cause or violence against local communities. In these cases, Congress may pursue noneconomic policy changes or pressure to encourage the country to cease such conduct. If need be, economic measures may also be imposed, such as sanctions.
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Countries on the Special Watch List have committed severe violations of religious freedom. However, they do not meet the strict criteria that underlie the CPC designation.
As of Dec. 2, 2020, the secretary of state has designated Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as CPCs. The secretary has also placed Comoros, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Russia on the list.
