In 2015, USCIRF for the first time recommended the Central African Republic (CAR) be designated by the State Department a Country of Particular Concern for systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom following years of sectarian violence that erupted after a 2013 coup. As the violence against religious minority communities subsided in subsequent years, in 2020, USCIRF recommended CAR be placed on the State Department’s Special Watchlist, a step in the right direction. While concerns for religious freedom in CAR remain, there has been further notable progress during the past year.

In its most recent 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF did not recommend CAR be included on the State Department’s Special Watchlist or be designated a Country of Particular Concern. Today we will learn more about what prompted the decision to remove CAR from the Special Watchlist recommendation, what progress has been made, and what challenges remain for religious freedom and religious minorities in CAR. Joining us to provide insight into the situation is USCIRF Policy Analyst for West and Central Africa, Madeline Vellturo, and Dr. Gino Vlavonou, a Consulting Program Officer with the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum at the Social Science Research Council.

USCIRF Recently released a Country Update on CAR

Read our 2021 Annual Report

USCIRF Condemns School Abductions in Nigeria

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today condemned the attack on a Christian school in Nigeria, where 125 students are reportedly missing after unknown gunmen raided Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna State.

“Religious freedom includes the freedom to attend religious schools and to learn and teach according to one’s beliefs,” said USCIRF Commissioner Frederick A. Davie. “Abductions like these undermine religious freedom in Nigeria and heighten sectarian tensions.”

The attack on Bethel Baptist High School on July 5 is the tenth mass school kidnapping in Nigeria since December 2020. Kaduna State has seen significant criminal and intercommunal violence in the past year that has included several attacks on churches and religious leaders. The Nigerian government has recently requested U.S. military assistance to address growing criminal violence in the country.

“It is unfathomable that these attacks are still happening in Nigeria with impunity,” said USCIRF Commissioner Tony Perkins. “It has been over four years since USCIRF’s Religious Prisoner of Conscience Leah Sharibu was abducted in a similar attack, and she continues to be held hostage because she will not abandon her faith. The United States must encourage the Nigerian government to do more to rescue these children and prevent future school abductions.”

In its 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State redesignate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, for engaging in and tolerating ongoing, systematic, and egregious violations of international religious freedom. The State Department designated Nigeria as a CPC for the first time in December 2020. USCIRF also recommended that the State Department redesignate Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) as “entities of particular concern,” or EPCs. Additionally, USCIRF has produced recent analyses on religious freedom conditions in Nigeria and violations committed by militant Islamist groups in northern Nigeria.

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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] or Danielle Ashbahian at [email protected].

USCIRF Condemns Death of Jesuit Priest Imprisoned in India

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemned in the strongest terms the deliberate neglect and targeting by the government of India that led to the death of Father Stan Swamy, an 84-year-old Jesuit priest and longtime human rights defender.

“Father Stan Swamy’s death is a stark reminder of the egregious and ongoing persecution of India’s religious minority communities. USCIRF consistently spoke out when Father Swamy was arrested and denied bail, especially considering the rapid deterioration of his health as he suffered from Parkinson’s disease and contracted COVID-19 while in prison, and was not given any support from prison officials,” said USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza. “We urge the United States to hold the Indian government accountable and to raise religious freedom concerns in the U.S.-India bilateral relationship.”

In October 2020, Father Swamy was arrested and charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for suspicion of ties to organizations accused of instigating violence in Maharashtra state in 2018 Government officials used UAPA and other statutes to detain advocates, the media, and academics, including religious minorities.

Father Swamy, who was already suffering from Parkinson’s disease, died of complications in Mumbai on July 5 after contracting COVID-19 in pre-trial detention. Despite international concern and urgent pleas for bail on medical grounds, Indian officials and the courts denied Father Swamy bail and timely medical care.

“USCIRF is deeply saddened and appalled by the death of 84-year-old Jesuit priest Stan Swamy. For years, he fought for the rights and dignity of low-caste and poor people across India,” said USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava. “Father Swamy died in the custody of Indian authorities who targeted him for giving voice to the human rights concerns of Adivasis and other low-caste, religious and poor communities. The Indian government held him for these past months, without any trial or conviction, despite lack of credible evidence on the charges filed against him, his deteriorating health, and global calls for his release.”

In its 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended India for designation as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. USCIRF’s Annual Report raised concern regarding the closing space for civil society in India during 2020, including the use of the UAPA and other statutes to detain religious minorities.

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