Egypt Named to US List of 14 Religious Freedom Violators
Photo: AP
Coptic Christians gather in Rome, to demand religious freedom and protection following a New Year's church attack in Egypt that killed 21 worshippers (File Photo)
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has named 14 countries as the world's worst violators of religious freedom, placing Egypt on the list for the first time.
In its annual report released Thursday, the commission says it included Egypt as a "country of particular concern" because of what it described as a dramatic increase in religious freedom violations during the past year. The commission cites escalating violence against Coptic Christians and other religious minorities.The report accuses the Egyptian government of engaging in or tolerating the violence. It says the attacks, including murder, have continued since President Hosni Mubarak's resignation in February, without the government bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Elsewhere in the Middle East, the commission names Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia as "countries of particular concern." In Asia, the report names Burma, China, North Korea, Vietnam, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Rounding out the list are African nations Eritrea, Nigeria and Sudan.
The commission is recommending the U.S. State Department officially designate the 14 nations as countries of particular concern, a move that could lead to sanctions against them. The State Department has already made the designation for eight of the 14 - Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan.
The religious freedom commission names other nations, including Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Russia and Venezuela, to its watch list for close monitoring of religious freedom violations. The others on the watch list are India, Indonesia, Laos, Somalia, Tajikistan and Turkey.
The commission is an independent bipartisan U.S. government body appointed by the president and leaders of Congress. It called "impunity" a "matter of escalating alarm" in countries on its lists, charging that governments are "idly standing by" in the face of violent attacks.