2004 Press Releases

U.S. Releases 2004 International Religious Freedom Report

Bratislava, September 16, 2004

The U.S. Department of State released the sixth Annual Report on International Religious Freedom September 15, examining the "status of religious freedom around the world."

A link to the report text is available on the U.S. Embassy web site.

The annual report to Congress, mandated by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, aims to "examine barriers to religious freedom, note countries where religious freedom conditions have improved, and describe U.S. actions to promote international religious freedom."

The 2004 report designates Saudi Arabia, Eritrea and Vietnam as new "Countries of Particular Concern" for particularly severe violations of religious freedom. The report also renamed Burma, China, Iran, North Korea and Sudan to the list.

The report also identifies countries that have achieved "significant improvement in the protection and promotion" of religious freedom, including Afghanistan, Georgia, India, Turkey and Turkmenistan.

In addition to the "Countries of Particular Concern," the report identifies many countries that restrict religious freedom through: totalitarian or authoritarian actions to control religious belief or practice, state hostility toward minority or non-approved religions, state neglect of societal discrimination against or persecution of minority religions, discriminatory legislation or policies prejudicial to certain religious, and denouncing certain religions by affiliating them with dangerous "cults" or "sects."

The report concludes with an overview of U.S. efforts to promote and support international religious freedom. Because the right to freedom of religion is "enshrined as both a foundational American value and a universal principle," the report states that "promoting religious freedom continues to be an essential element of United States foreign policy."