USCIRF's 2020 Annual Report
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UNITED STATES COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ANNUAL REPORT 2020 Alaa Salah, a Sudanese woman who was propelled to A Sudanese demonstrator waves her national flag as people internet fame after clips went viral of her leading powerful celebrate in Khartoum on August 4, 2019, following news protest chants against President Omar al-Bashir, addresses that Sudan’s army rulers and protest leaders had agreed to protesters during a demonstration in front of the military a hard-won constitutional declaration that paves the way for headquarters in the capital Khartoum on April 10, 2019. a transition to civilian rule after more than seven months of (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) often deadly street rallies. (Photo by EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP via Getty Images) Sudanese Christians from the Nuba Mountains gather at a protest site near the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, on April 14, 2019. (Photo by AHMED MUSTAFA/ AFP via Getty Images) Transitional Prime Minister of Sudan Abdalla Hamdok ges- Sufi dhikr ceremony in a cemetery in Omdurman, Sudan, tures during a December 2019 meeting in Washington, just outside of the capital of Khartoum. Photo taken by D.C. with members of his cabinet and U.S. Commission on USCIRF Supervisory Policy Analyst Kurt Werthmuller during International Religious Freedom Commissioners and staff. a USCIRF country visit to Sudan in February and March 2020. (Photo by Aaron Sweet) ANNUAL REPORT OF THE U.S. COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Commissioners Tony Perkins Chair Gayle Manchin Nadine Maenza Vice Chairs Gary L. Bauer Anurima Bhargava James W. Carr Tenzin Dorjee Sharon Kleinbaum Johnnie Moore Ambassador Samuel D. Brownback, ex officio, non-voting member Erin D. Singshinsuk Executive Director April 2020 Professional Staff Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy Elizabeth K. Cassidy, Director of Research and Policy Roy Haskins, Director of Finance and Office Management Thomas Kraemer, Director of Human Resources and Senior Advisor for Strategic Outreach Kirsten Lavery, International Legal Specialist and Team Lead, Victims Database Jamie Staley, Senior Congressional Relations Specialist Kurt Werthmuller, Supervisory Policy Analyst Harrison Akins, Policy Analyst Danielle Ashbahian, Communications Specialist Keely Bakken, Policy Analyst Patrick Greenwalt, Researcher Jason Morton, Policy Analyst Dominic Nardi, Policy Analyst Scott Weiner, Policy Analyst Zachary Udin, Project Specialist U.S. COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 732 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite A714 Washington, DC 20401 (P) 202–523–3240 www.uscirf.gov TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction and Overview ............................................... 1 Implementation of the International Religious Freedom Act. 5 Key Findings ........................................................... 5 Recommendations to the Administration ........................................ 6 Recommendations to Congress .............................................. 6 Key USCIRF Resources and Activities .......................................... 6 Legal Framework ........................................................ 7 Developments in 2019 .................................................... 7 Countries Recommended for Designation as Countries of Particular Concern . 12 Burma ...............................................................12 China ................................................................14 Eritrea ...............................................................18 India .................................................................20 Iran ................................................................ 24 Nigeria. 26 North Korea .......................................................... 30 Pakistan ............................................................. 32 Russia ............................................................... 34 Saudi Arabia .......................................................... 36 Syria ................................................................ 40 Tajikistan. 42 Turkmenistan .......................................................... 44 Vietnam ............................................................. 46 Countries Recommended for the State Department’s Special Watch List ..... 48 Afghanistan ........................................................... 48 Algeria .............................................................. 50 Azerbaijan ............................................................ 52 Bahrain .............................................................. 56 Central African Republic .................................................. 60 Cuba ............................................................... 62 Egypt ............................................................... 66 Indonesia ............................................................ 70 Iraq ................................................................ 72 Kazakhstan ............................................................74 Malaysia. .76 Nicaragua. 78 Sudan ............................................................... 80 Turkey .............................................................. 82 Uzbekistan ........................................................... 84 Other Key Developments ............................................... 87 Appendix 1: Commissioner Biographies ................................... 91 Appendix 2: Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project and Victims List ...... 93 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW n 2019, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom USCIRF, the government announced it would close the infamous Jasliq (USCIRF) was gratified by important progress to improve religious Prison where, in the past, two religious prisoners had been boiled alive. Ifreedom conditions in two countries where the governments engaged Although the government of Uzbekistan has yet to revise its problematic closely with USCIRF to bring positive change. The year saw remarkable laws regulating religion, as it has pledged to do, or to address its contin- changes in Sudan, a country USCIRF has recommended for “coun- ued imprisonment of many peaceful Muslims, based on the encouraging try of particular concern” (CPC) designation under the International changes over the past year USCIRF is recommending the country for Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA) every year since USCIRF’s first the State Department’s SWL in this Annual Report, after having recom- set of CPC recommendations in 2000. A brave, grassroots protest mended it for CPC designation every year since 2005. movement brought down the Islamist-led regime of former president On the other hand, India took a sharp downward turn in 2019. The Omar al-Bashir in April, followed by the establishment of a joint civil- national government used its strengthened parliamentary majority ian-military transitional government four months later. The transitional to institute national-level policies violating religious freedom across constitution no longer identifies Islam as the primary source of law, India, especially for Muslims. Most notably, it enacted the Citizenship and it includes a provision ensuring the freedom of belief and worship. (Amendment) Act, which provides a fast track to Indian citizenship for In November, the transitional government, which has engaged closely non-Muslim migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan with USCIRF on religious freedom concerns, repealed the repressive already residing in India. According to government officials’ statements, public order laws that the former regime used to punish individuals, this law is meant to provide protection for listed non-Muslim religious particularly women, who did not conform to its interpretation of Sunni communities—but not for Muslims—against exclusion from a nationwide Islam. While much work remains to extend full religious freedom1 to National Register of Citizens and the resulting detention, deportation, all Sudanese—including repealing apostasy and blasphemy laws— and potential statelessness. The national and various state governments enough positive change has come to the country that, in this Annual also allowed nationwide campaigns of harassment and violence against Report, USCIRF is now recommending Sudan for the U.S. Department religious minorities to continue with impunity, and engaged in and tol- of State’s Special Watch List (SWL), a lesser category, rather than for erated hate speech and incitement to violence against them. Based on CPC designation. The positive tra- these developments, in this report jectory in Sudan is depicted in the USCIRF recommends CPC desig- photographs on this year’s cover, nation for India. which show the protests that led The positive trajectory in Sudan is depicted Created by IRFA, USCIRF is to the Bashir regime’s removal; in the photographs on this year’s cover, an independent, bipartisan U.S. transitional Prime Minister Abdalla which show the protests that led to the government advisory body, sep- Hamdok in a December meeting Bashir regime’s removal; transitional arate from the State Department, with USCIRF in Washington, DC; that monitors religious freedom and a Sufi worship ceremony Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in a December abroad and makes policy rec- that USCIRF witnessed during its meeting with USCIRF in Washington, DC; and a ommendations to the president, February 2020 visit to Sudan. Sufi worship ceremony that USCIRF witnessed secretary of state, and Congress. Likewise, Uzbekistan took during its February