President Donald Trump and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari during a joint press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House on April 30, 2018, in Washington. Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images |
The US Department of States in a statement by the Secretary
of State, Mr. Michael Pompeo, said yesterday that it was also placing the
Comoros, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Russia on a special watchlist for governments
that have engaged in or tolerated “severe violations of religious freedom.”
US explained that religious freedom is an inalienable right,
and the bedrock upon which free societies are built and flourish.
It stated: “Today, the United States – a nation founded by
those fleeing religious persecution, as the recent Commission on Unalienable
Rights report noted – once again took action to defend those who simply want to
exercise this essential freedom.
“The United States is designating Burma, China, Eritrea,
Iran, Nigeria, the DPRK, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan
as Countries of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom
Act of 1998, as amended, for engaging in or tolerating “systematic, ongoing,
egregious violations of religious freedom.
“Additionally, we are designating al-Shabaab, al-Qa’ida,
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 under the Frank R. Wolf International Religious
Freedom Act of 2016.”
The US noted that it has not renewed the prior Entity of
Particular Concern designations for al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula and
ISIS-Khorasan, due to the total loss of territory formerly controlled by these
terrorist organisations.
It added that while these two groups no longer meet the
statutory criteria for designation, it would not rest until it has fully
eliminated the threat of religious freedom abuses by any violent extremist and
terrorist groups.
The US, however, announced that that Sudan and Uzbekistan
have been removed from the special watchlist based on significant, concrete
progress undertaken by their respective governments over the past year.
It explained that the courageous reforms of their laws and
practices stand as models for other nations to follow.
“And yet our work is far from complete. The United States
will continue to work tirelessly to end religiously motivated abuses and
persecution around the world, and to help ensure that each person, everywhere,”
it said.
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