In 2025, nonstate actors posed significant threats to religious freedom abroad. Among these, USCIRF identified some groups that met the criteria of an Entity of Particular Concern (EPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998, as amended. IRFA calls for USCIRF to recommend that the U.S. Department of State designate certain nonstate actors as EPCs. That statute defines an EPC as a nonstate group that engages in particularly severe violations of religious freedom and is also “a nonsovereign entity that exercises significant political power and territorial control; is outside the control of a sovereign government; and often employs violence in pursuit of its objectives.”
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Cuba
Religion or Belief: Christian – Protestant
Date of Detainment: March/16/2025
Current Status: Not Released
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Jonathan David Muir Burgos
Extra Bio Info:
Jonathan David Muir Burgos is detained for his religious association.
In March 2026, authorities arrested 16-year-old Muir Burgos along with his father, Pastor Elier Muir Ávila, during political protests. Government authorities had previously targeted Pastor Muir Ávila for his leadership of Tiempo de Cosecha, an unregistered Protestant church. In 2024, the Office of Religious Affairs of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party repeatedly sent government officials and religious leaders to intimidate him to close his church. Authorities released Pastor Muir Ávila the same day of his arrest, but continue to detain his son, Jonathan, as an attempt at coercion by proxy.
During detention, authorities denied Muir Burgos medical care for a skin condition requiring constant treatment.
Mar 30, 2026
ISIS Affiliates Threaten Religious Freedom in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Washington, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released the following report on the DRC:
Nonstate Violators of Religious Freedom in the DRC – Amid ongoing political instability and chronic insecurity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), nonstate armed groups have increasingly targeted religious communities, exploited gaps in governance, and limited civilian protection, particularly in the country’s eastern provinces. Among these actors, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), also known as the Islamic State – Democratic Republic of Congo (ISIS-DRC), presents a particularly alarming threat to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). In the past two years, the ADF has intensified its operations, waging violent attacks on houses of worship, religious leaders, and communities, which are predominantly Christian. This publication provides an overview of the ADF’s and other nonstate actors’ escalating violations of FoRB, while also examining the DRC and international responses to the crisis.
In its 2026 Annual Report, USCIRF highlighted religious freedom violations and U.S. sanctions related to ISIS affiliates or in central, eastern, and southern Africa. USCIRF has also examined conditions in the central region of the continent, including in a February 2023 factsheet on Central Africa.
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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].