Table of Contents
USCIRF
- US Commission on International Religious Freedom is a bipartisan, independent federal government commission, created by International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE REPORT:
- In its Annual Report, USCIRF unflinchingly describes threats to religious freedom around the world and recommends to the State Department countries for designation as “countries of particular concern” (CPCs) for engaging in or tolerating “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations.”
- USCIRF also recommends to the State Department that non-state actors cited for similarly severe violations be designated as “entities of particular concern” (EPCs).
WHAT HAPPENED
- USCIRF recommends 14 nations, including India, for designation as ”countries of particular concern‘’
- These include nine countries that the State Department designated as CPCsin December 2019 -Myanmar, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan -as well as five others -India, Nigeria, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam, US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said in its annual report released on Tuesday.
COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN
- Designation of the CPC is the top tier recommendation by the USCIRF when it comes to violation of international religious freedom. It is followed by Special Watch List Countries for severe violations. This year, the USCIRF has recommended 15 countries for placement on the State Department’s Special Watch List (SWL) for severe violations.
HOW IS IT BAD FOR INDIA?
- The USCIRF also recommended to the State Department to impose targeted sanctions on Indian government agencies and officials responsible for severe violations of religious freedom.
- Among others, it recommended the State Department to allocate funding to support civil society to create a monitoring and early warning system in partnership with police to challenge hate speech and incitement to violence.
- The US Congress should continue to hold hearings highlighting religious freedom conditions in India and US policy toward India, the USCIRF said.
- In his individual views, Commissioner Johnnie Moore said that he is gravely concerned that political and inter-communal strife will be further exacerbated by religious tensions, yet he is also heartened that India remains the world’s largest democracy, governed by a pristine constitution, and is also encouraged that this great nation is a tremendous friend and ally of the US.
CHARGES ON INDIA
- The USCIRF alleged that during 2019, discriminatory policies, inflammatory rhetoric, and tolerance for violence against minorities at the national, state and local level increased the climate of fear among non-Hindu communities.
- In its report, the watchdog also mentioned about communal riots in Delhi in February 2020, alleging that there were reports of Delhi police, operating under the Home Ministry’s authority, failing to halt attacks and even directly participating in the violence.
- The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) cited the Citizenship (Amendment) Act
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