Displaying results 1 - 10 of 10

Sudan: Will removal from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list impact Religious Freedom?
Oct 30, 2020 Sudan has been in the news most recently with the announcement by the United States government of its intent to remove Sudan from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. In this week's USCIRF Spotlight, we explore…
Reforms in Kazakhstan Could Improve Religious Freedom
Aug 6, 2021 The Kazakhstani government is implementing promising reforms that could make Kazakhstan Central Asia’s leading example of religious freedom. USCIRF has recommended the U.S. State Department place…
USCIRF Releases 2022 Annual Report with Recommendations for U.S. Policy
Apr 26, 2022 On April 25, 2022, USCIRF released its 2022 Annual Report, which documents developments in international religious freedom from 2021. The report provides recommendations to enhance the U.S. government’s promotion…
Religious Prisoners of Conscience in Kazakhstan
Sep 16, 2022 In 2018, Kazakhstan arrested a group of men for participating in a WhatsApp group chat about Islam and sentenced them to multiple years in prison on fictitious terrorism and incitement-related charges. Last fall,…
Differences Between Religious Tolerance and Religious Freedom
Jan 5, 2023 Authoritarian states promote religious tolerance without necessarily ensuring freedom of religion or belief. Last month, USCIRF released a report distinguishing between these two concepts and explains the origins of religious tolerance…
The Abuse of Extremism Laws in Central Asia
May 30, 2025  The governments of Central Asia—that is Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—influenced by decades of Soviet rule, maintain similar legislation to combat “extremism.” Each of these governments uses these laws…
Religious Freedom in Sudan: Navigating Instability and Civil War
Aug 29, 2025  Religious freedom concerns are increasing in Sudan’s current brutal civil war. There are increasing reports of attacks on places of worship and other incidents that violate freedom of religion or belief. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)…
The IRF Ambassador: A Key Component of U.S. Leadership on Religious Freedom
Oct 3, 2025  The U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, often referred to as the IRF Ambassador, plays a vital role in the U.S. government’s promotion of international religious freedom. Pursuant to the International Religious…
Findings from USCIRF’s Delegation to Central Asia
Dec 30, 2025  In June 2025, USCIRF commissioners traveled to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to assess religious freedom conditions. During the delegation, USCIRF confirmed that both governments continue to arbitrarily apply a broad and vague legislative…
Independent Media and its Essential Role in Promoting FoRB throughout Central Asia
Apr 17, 2026  In Central Asia, independent media plays an essential role in shedding light on freedom of religion of belief (FoRB) violations. As a result, Central Asian governments attempt to silence independent journalists and bloggers to conceal…