USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Freedom in Nicaragua

Washington, DC –The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:

Nicaragua Country Update - This report provides an update on the severely deteriorating religious freedom conditions in Nicaragua. President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo use laws on cybercrimes, financial crimes, legal registration for not-for-profit organizations, and sovereignty and self-determination to persecute religious communities and religious freedom advocates. Nicaragua’s government continues to repress the Catholic Church for its human rights advocacy by arbitrarily arresting, imprisoning, and exiling clergy and laypeople and shuttering and seizing the property of Catholic charitable and educational organizations. As Ortega and Murillo seek to maintain their hold on power, the authorities have been using similar tactics to oppress Protestant denominations. The Nicaraguan government has also resisted any international scrutiny of their religious freedom violations including by withdrawing from the Organization of American States (OAS), expelling OAS staff from its territory, and refusing to cooperate with the United Nation Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua.

In its 2024 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended the U.S. Department of State designate the country as a “Country of Particular Concern,” or CPC, for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.

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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 or belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].

USCIRF Releases Report on Religious Freedom in Sri Lanka

Washington, DC –The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:

Sri Lanka Country Update – This report provides an overview of the current religious freedom conditions in Sri Lanka and key observations from USCIRF’s 2023 delegation to the country, such as religiously motivated land disputes, registration challenges, and the use of discriminatory legislation to target and detain religious minorities. It includes a summary of proposed amendments to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, the Anti-Terrorism Act, the Online Safety Bill, and the enforcement of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Act.

In its 2024 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State include Sri Lanka on its Special Watch List for engaging in or allowing severe violations of religious freedom. In May 2024, USCIRF held a hearing on religious freedom in Sri Lanka.

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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 threats to 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 or belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].

USCIRF Calls on the U.S. Government to Impose Consequences on Tajikistan Due to Increasing Repression

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) calls on the U.S. government to take action to address the government of Tajikistan’s worsening religious freedom violations. On June 20, 2024, President Emomali Rahmon signed amendments to the 2007 law “On the Regulation of Traditions and Ceremonies,” commonly referred to as the traditions law. The amendments, among other measures, ban children from participating in the Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha custom of idgardak and forbid the sale, import, promotion, and wearing of clothes that are “foreign to national culture,” a provision interpreted as a ban on certain religious head coverings. These prohibitions are in addition to already existing restrictions on circumcisions, baby naming rituals, weddings, religious pilgrimage ceremonies, and funerals. The U.S. Department of State has rightly designated Tajikistan as a “Country of Particular Concern,” or CPC, since 2016, but has repeatedly issued waivers on taking otherwise legislatively mandated actions as a consequence of that designation.

“The Tajik government, undeterred by the repeated CPC designations, continues to find new ways to further restrict religious freedom, as evident by its tightening of the already repressive 2007 traditions law,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Eric Ueland. “While the State Department importantly designates Tajikistan as a CPC, naming and shaming is evidently not enough. The designation will only be effective if accompanied by actions, such as targeted sanctions or other consequences.”

On March 9, 2024, ahead of Ramadan, President Rahmon gave a speech urging implementation of the traditions law and claiming that individuals who wear “foreign” dress believe they are “superior to others,” a reference to language in the country’s extremism law that deems the promotion of “superiority” as an extremist activity. Since then, government officials have taken action against those wearing “foreign” clothes, compelling women to wear their headscarves in the “Tajik” way and, relatedly, forcing men to shave their beards. Last month, authorities reportedly denied women not wearing their head covering in the “Tajik” style entry into a local hospital and threatened them with fines. Similarly, officials in Sino district, Dushanbe, forcibly took women wearing “foreign” head coverings and men with beards to a police station to be fingerprinted and photographed. Also in Dushanbe, officials detained another group of men with beards and forced them to shave and pay for the shaving tools used during the incident.

“It is troubling to witness the recent onslaught of harassment against those who express their faith in ways that do not correspond with the state’s preferred interpretation,” said USCIRF Commissioner Susie Gelman. “We urge the U.S. government to condition security assistance to the Tajik government on reform of the traditions law, the 2009 religion law, and all other legislation that criminalizes the peaceful expression of religion in the country.”

In its 2024 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended the State Department again designate Tajikistan a CPC for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. In December 2023, USCIRF published a report on the repression of religious freedom in Tajikistan.  In July 2023, USCIRF held a hearing on Tajikistan to discuss policy options available to the U.S. government.

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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 or belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].