USCIRF publishes annual report

According to the 2013 Annual Report on the State of International Religious Freedom by The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), released Tuesday April 30th: 

“The state of international religious freedom is increasingly dire due to the presence of forces that fuel instability. These forces include the rise of violent religious extremism coupled with the actions and inactions of governments. Extremists target religious minorities and dissenters from majority religious communities for violence, including physical assaults and even murder. Authoritarian governments also repress religious freedom through intricate webs of discriminatory rules, arbitrary requirements and draconian edicts,” said Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, USCIRF’s Chair.

Countries remaining of (particular) concern or CPCs include: Burma (Myanmar), China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Uzbekistan.  Seven other countries meeting the CPC threshold (also deserving the CPC designation) this year include: Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam.