The U.S. State Department placed Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, as Countries of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 for having engaged in or tolerated ”systematic, ongoing, [and] egregious violations of religious freedom”.
While Comoros, Russia, and Uzbekistan have been placed on a Special Watch List for governments that have engaged in or tolerated “severe violations of religious freedom.” The Special Watch List is a relatively new category below that of Countries of Particular Concern
In its previous statement of January 4, 2018 the U.S. Department of State had placed Uzbekistan in the list of “Countries of Particular Concern”.
In far too many places across the globe, individuals continue to face harassment, arrests, or even death for simply living their lives in accordance with their beliefs. The United States will not stand by as spectators in the face of such oppression. Protecting and promoting international religious freedom is a top foreign policy priority of the Trump Administration, the statement added.
