What’s in the news?

• The United States has designated Pakistan and China among eight other countries that are of particular concern for violation of religious freedom.
• Pakistan and China along with Myanmar, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan were placed in the list for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.
• The State Department placed the Comoros, Cuba, Nicaragua and Russia on a Special Watch List (SWL) for governments that have engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom.
• The U.S. also designated al-Shabaab, al-Qaida, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Houthis, ISIS, ISIS-Greater Sahara, ISIS-West Africa, Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin and the Taliban as ‘Entities of Particular Concern’.
• Notably, the State Department did not accept the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommendation that India, Russia, Syria and Vietnam be also designated as Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs).

Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/us-designates-pak-china-as-countries-of-particular-concern-for-violation-of-religious-freedom/article33275693.ece