15 countries cited for religious freedom violations
Lauren Markoe | Apr 30, 2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) It can be hard to come up with a list of countries with the most egregious records on religious freedom when some of the world’s worst offenders aren’t even nation states.
For its annual report of violators, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom counts 15 nations where abuse of religious liberty is “systemic, egregious, and ongoing.”
But the commission, which was created by Congress in 1998 as an independent watchdog panel, also wants to highlight the crimes of non-nations, which for the first time this year get their own section in the report.
“USCIRF added a special emphasis on non-state actors, as their violent actions are a growing threat to religious freedom,” said Knox Thames, the commission’s director of policy and research.
http://www.religionnews.com/2013/04/30/u-s-commission-announce15-countries-cited-for-religious-freedom-violations-worlds-15-worst-violators-of-religious-freedom/
Here's the report (371 pages):
http://www.uscirf.gov/images/2013%20USCIRF%20Annual%20Report(2).pdf
