Dec 12, 2025
Iraqis Face Ongoing Sectarianism, Genocide-Related Religious Freedom Challenges
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released the following report:
Iraq Country Update – Since 2014, when the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) launched a genocide against Iraqi and Syrian religious and ethnic minorities, Iraq’s diverse population has continued to suffer ongoing aftereffects. The Iraqi federal government and semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government have each offered some forms of redress to genocide survivors. However, these survivors and other communities and individuals throughout the country suffer varying degrees of systematic and ongoing restrictions on religious freedom. This country update provides an overview of recent religious freedom restrictions, including new legislation that threatens to increase sectarianism and limit freedom of religion or belief for Iraqis of all religious backgrounds.
In its 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State place Iraq on the Special Watch List for severe violations of religious freedom, pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). Over the course of 2025, many of these unfavorable conditions have persisted and, in some cases, escalated.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency 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 [email protected].
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Azerbaijan
Religion or Belief: Unspecified
Date of Detainment: December/3/2024
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Rufat Safarov
Extra Bio Info:
Rufat Safarov is detained for his religious freedom advocacy.
On December 3, 2024, Azerbaijani authorities arrested Rufat Safarov, an outspoken critic of the Azerbaijani government’s unjust imprisonment of nonconforming Shi’a Muslims, just before his scheduled travel to the United States to receive the U.S. Secretary of State’s 2024 Human Rights Defender Award.
Additional Name(s): Agali
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Azerbaijan
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Shi'a
Reports of Torture: Yes
Date of Detainment: August/31/2025
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Aghali Yahyayev
Extra Bio Info:
Aghali Yahyayev is imprisoned for his religious leadership role
On August 31, 2023, Azerbaijani authorities arrested Yahyayev, a member of the Board of Directors of the Muslim Unity Movement.
On September 20, 2024, the Sumgayit Grave Crimes Court, presided over by Judge Elchin Mammadov, sentenced him to 7 years' imprisonment for "Illegally purchasing or storing without a purpose of selling narcotics or psychotropic substances" (Art. 234.1 ACC). Yahyayev's wife and other family members reported that officers beat his legs repeatedly with a baton to obtain a confession.