NEW YORK—The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent federal advisory body created by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) to monitor religious freedom abuses abroad, released its 2013 Annual Report.
The report highlighted the status of religious freedom globally and identifies those governments that are the most egregious violators.
The report from the independent commission categorizes offenders as Tier 1, Tier 2 or “Watch list” countries. The Tier 2 category replaces the Watch List designation USCIRF previously used.
The annual assessment of USCIRF has placed India in the Tier 2 along with seven other countries. These nations are: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos and Russia.
The violations committed in countries Listed in Tier 2 list met at least one criterion of IRFA’s three-fold “systematic, ongoing, egregious” standard, the USCIRF said.
“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.
Commission noted that there has been no large-scale communal violence against religious minorities in India since 2008, but progress in achieving justice for the victims of past violence targeting Muslim, Christians and Sikhs continues to be slow. The lack of penalties encourages the ongoing intimidation, harassment, and occasional violence against religious minorities. NGOs allege that police investigations were religiously biased and intentionally defective.
Sikh NGOs that advocate for justice for the 1984 anti-Sikh genocide report frequent harassment by both governmental officials and members of society. Reportedly the police often refuse to investigate acts of harassment targeting Sikhs.
In addition, rape has become a common feature of communal violence, highlighted the report.
Background
Since 2009, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF’s) has put India on its Watch List due to a disturbing increase in gross violence against religious minorities. Prior to that, until 2004, India was placed under “countries of particular concern”.
USCIRF’s reporting about religious freedom conditions in India began in 2002, based on a disturbing increase in communal violence against religious minorities.
ABOUT USCIRF
USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission, the first of its kind in the world, dedicated to defending the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad. USCIRF reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress.
USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the Congressional leadership of both political parties.
The 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) requires that the United States annually designate as CPCs countries whose governments have engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of the universal right to freedom of religion or belief. IRFA also tasks USCIRF with assessing conditions in these and other countries and making recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress.
In accordance with IRFA, USCIRF uses international standards, as found in UN conventions and declarations, for assessing religious freedom conditions.
