Twenty-five years ago, President Bill Clinton signed the International Religious Freedom Act into law. That gave the United States a “range of new tools to give voice to the persecuted, to empower advocates, to promote religious freedom around the world,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the release of the 2022 International Religious Freedom Report.
The report provides a fact-based, comprehensive view of the state of religious freedom in nearly 200 countries and territories around the world, explained Secretary Blinken:
“This report assesses the actions of countries that are our partners and those with whom we have disagreements, evaluating all by the same standards. Its aim is to highlight areas where freedom of religion or belief is being repressed, to promote accountability, and ultimately drive progress toward a world where freedom of religion or belief is a reality for everyone everywhere.”
Over the past year there has been progress on expanding religious freedom. Belgium formally recognized its Buddhist minority. Lawmakers in Brazil codified religious freedom guarantees for Afro-Brazilians. Canada and the European Union both created offices to combat Islamophobia. And in the Central African Republic, the special criminal court continues to prosecute cases of religious-based violence and other human rights violations.
But the report also documents the rise of very troubling trends, said Secretary Blinken:
“Governments in many parts of the world continue to target religious minorities using a host of methods, including torture, beatings, unlawful surveillance, and so-called re-education camps. They also continued to engage in other forms of discrimination on the basis of faith or lack of faith, like excluding religious minorities from certain professions or forcing them to work during times of religious observance.”
Human rights defenders are sounding the alarm on attacks on the Catholic Church by the Ortega-Murillo regime in Nicaragua, noted Secretary Blinken:
“One of those unjustly detained was Rolando Alvarez, a bishop who criticized the regime’s crackdown on civil and religious liberties and was promptly labeled a ‘traitor to the homeland’ and sentenced to 26 years in jail.”
People across Iran continue peaceful protests demanding their human rights, including freedom of religion. And in Burma the military regime continues to repress religious minorities.
The United States will continue to stand with and support all those who bravely advocate for religious freedom.
