Official websites use .gov Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Policy Issues Countries & Areas Bureaus & Offices About Mission History Administrative Leadership Directories The annual Report to Congress on International Religious Freedom , the International Religious Freedom Report , describes the status of religious freedom in every country.
The report covers government policies violating religious belief and practices of groups, religious denominations and individuals, and U.S. policies to promote religious freedom around the world.
The U.S.
Department of State submits the reports in accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.
Share this page on: In this section / Overview and Acknowledgements The Department of State submits this annual report to the Congress in compliance with section 102(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-292), as amended. This report covers the period between January 1 and December 31, 2021.
U.S. embassies prepare the initial drafts of country chapters based on information from government officials, religious groups, nongovernmental organizations, journalists, human rights monitors, academics, media, and others. The Office of International Religious Freedom, based in Washington, collaborates in collecting and analyzing additional information, drawing on its consultations with foreign government officials, domestic and foreign religious groups, domestic and foreign nongovernmental organizations, multilateral and other international and regional organizations, journalists, academic experts, community leaders, and other relevant U.S. government institutions.
The State Department’s guiding principle is to ensure that all relevant information is presented as objectively, thoroughly, and fairly as possible. Motivations and accuracy of sources vary, however, and the Department of State is not in a position to verify independently all information contained in the reports. To the extent possible, the reports use multiple sources to increase comprehensiveness and reduce potential for bias. The views of any particular source are not necessarily those of the United States government. The report is designed to spotlight examples of government and societal action that typify and illuminate issues reported in each country. Specific inclusions or omissions should not be interpreted as a signal that a particular case is of greater or lesser importance to the U.S. government, or that a case is the only available example. Rather, the goal is to shed light on the nature, scope, and severity of actions impacting religious freedom through illustrative examples.
This report reflects the efforts of hundreds of people in the Department of State and at U.S. missions abroad. We thank the dedicated staff at our embassies and consulates for monitoring and promoting religious freedom, and for chronicling in detail the status of freedom of religion or belief in all corners of the globe. Many of them went to great lengths under difficult circumstances to acquire the information in this report.
The reports were produced under the direction of Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain, with guidance from Office of International Religious Freedom Director Daniel L.
Nadel and Deputy Directors Mariah Mercer and Carson Relitz Rocker.
The editorial staff of the International Religious Freedom Report consists of: Editor-in-Chief: Robert W.
Boehme; Editors: Cynthia H.
Akuetteh, Victoria Alvarado, Michael Ardovino, Brian Bachman, Mark Carlson, Lisa B.
Gregory, David E.
Henifin, James A.
McVerry, Daniel Merrill, Robin Quinville, Carol Rodley, Vicente Valle, and David Winn; Office of International Religious Freedom staff: James Alexander, Carter Allen, Gaby Anciola, Rory E.
Anderson, Nida Ansari, Ferdaouis Bagga, Dhuha Baig, Keely Bakken, Aaron Bruce, Katie Burns, Andre Cadieux, Christine Marie Carlson, Atlee Chait, Sean Comber, John Craven, Dylan Diggs, Serena Doan, Michael G.
Dozler, Luke Falcon-Sapp, Nathan George, Mary Gunderson, Cassandra Harris, Razi Hashmi, Alyx Hoge, Sarah Krech, Yetty Landherr, Darin McAnelly, Leslie Moorman, Tina L.
Mufford, Jeff O’Neal, Douglas Padgett, Kourtney Pompi, Kim Roy, Felix Salazar, Jr., Rachel Sauer, Seth Schleicher, Nicole Schlichter, Robin Schulman, Sarah Shabbir, Angel Sharma, Nathan Wineinger, Rachel Wolfe, Joanna Wulfsberg, and Brooke C.
D.
Young. Special thanks to Geoffrey Palcher, Victor Huser, and Selene Ko.
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world, Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people, Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law, Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations, Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in cooperation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge, Now, therefore, The General Assembly, proclaims this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of a kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or other status.
Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional, or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing, or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and the security of person.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home, or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international cooperation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social, and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group, or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
Hundred and eighty-third plenary meeting Resolution 217(A)(III) of the United Nations General Assembly, December 10, 1948 (This material is in the public domain and may be reprinted without permission; citation of this source is appreciated.) The States Parties to the present Covenant, Considering that, in accordance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world, Recognizing that these rights derive from the inherent dignity of the human person, Recognizing that, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ideal of free human beings enjoying civil and political freedom and freedom from fear and want can only be achieved if conditions are created whereby everyone may enjoy his civil and political rights, as well as his economic, social, and cultural rights, Considering the obligation of States under the Charter of the United Nations to promote universal respect for, and observance of, human rights, and freedoms, Realizing that the individual, having duties to other individuals and to the community to which he belongs, is under a responsibility to strive for the promotion and observance of the rights recognized in the present Covenant, Agree upon the following articles: Article 1 Article 2 Article 3 The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to ensure the equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all civil and political rights set forth in the present Covenant.
Article 4 Article 5 Article 6 Article 7 No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. In particular, no one shall be subjected without his free consent to medical or scientific experimentation.
Article 8 Article 9 Article 10 Article 11 No one shall be imprisoned merely on the ground of inability to fulfil a contractual obligation.
Article 12 Article 13 An alien lawfully in the territory of a State Party to the present Covenant may be expelled therefrom only in pursuance of a decision reached in accordance with law and shall, except where compelling reasons of national security otherwise require, be allowed to submit the reasons against his expulsion and to have his case reviewed by, and be represented for the purpose before, the competent authority or a person or persons especially designated by the competent authority.
Article 14 Article 15 Article 16 Everyone shall have the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 17 Article 18 Article 19 Article 20 Article 21 The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognized. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or morals, or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.
Article 22 Article 23 Article 24 Article 25 Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity, without any of the distinctions mentioned in article 2 and without unreasonable restrictions: Article 26 All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law. In this respect, the law shall prohibit any discrimination and guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection against discrimination on any ground such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
Article 27 In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, or to use their own language.
Article 28 Article 29 Article 30 Article 31 Article 32 Article 33 Article 34 Article 35 The members of the Committee shall, with the approval of the General Assembly of the United Nations, receive emoluments from United Nations resources on such terms and conditions as the General Assembly may decide, having regard to the importance of the Committee’s responsibilities.
Article 36 The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall provide the necessary staff and facilities for the effective performance of the functions of the Committee under the present Covenant.
Article 37 Article 38 Every member of the Committee shall, before taking up his duties, make a solemn declaration in open committee that he will perform his functions impartially and conscientiously.
Article 39 Article 40 Article 41 Article 42 Article 43 The members of the Committee, and of the ad hoc conciliation commissions which may be appointed under article 42, shall be entitled to the facilities, privileges and immunities of experts on mission for the United Nations as laid down in the relevant sections of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.
Article 44 The provisions for the implementation of the present Covenant shall apply without prejudice to the procedures prescribed in the field of human rights by or under the constituent instruments and the conventions of the United Nations and of the specialized agencies and shall not prevent the States Parties to the present Covenant from having recourse to other procedures for settling a dispute in accordance with general or special international agreements in force between them.
Article 45 The Committee shall submit to the General Assembly of the United Nations, through the Economic and Social Council, an annual report on its activities.
Article 46 Nothing in the present Covenant shall be interpreted as impairing the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and of the constitutions of the specialized agencies which define the respective responsibilities of the various organs of the United Nations and of the specialized agencies in regard to the matters dealt with in the present Covenant.
Article 47 Nothing in the present Covenant shall be interpreted as impairing the inherent right of all peoples to enjoy and utilize fully and freely their natural wealth and resources.
Article 48 Article 49 Article 50 The provisions of the present Covenant shall extend to all parts of federal States without any limitations or exceptions.
Article 51 Article 52 Irrespective of the notifications made under article 48, paragraph 5, the Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform all States referred to in paragraph 1 of the same article of the following particulars: Article 53 The General Assembly, Considering that one of the basic principles of the Charter of the United Nations is that of the dignity and equality inherent in all human beings, and that all Member States have pledged themselves to take joint and separate action in co-operation with the Organization to promote and encourage universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion, Considering that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Human Rights proclaim the principles of nondiscrimination and equality before the law and the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and belief, Considering that the disregard and infringement of human rights and fundamental freedoms, in particular of the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, or whatever belief, have brought, directly or indirectly, wars and great suffering to mankind, especially where they serve as a means of foreign interference in the internal affairs of other States and amount to kindling hatred between peoples and nations, Considering that religion or belief, for anyone who professes either, is one of the fundamental elements in his conception of life and that freedom of religion or belief should be fully respected and guaranteed, Considering that it is essential to promote understanding, tolerance, and respect in matters relating to freedom of religion and belief and to ensure that the use of religion or belief for ends inconsistent with the Charter of the United Nations, other relevant instruments of the United Nations and the purposes and principles of the present Declaration is inadmissible, Convinced that freedom of religion and belief should also contribute to the attainment of the goals of world peace, social justice and friendship among peoples and to the elimination of ideologies or practices of colonialism and racial discrimination, Noting with satisfaction the adoption of several, and the coming into force of some, conventions, under the aegis of the United Nations and of the specialized agencies, for the elimination of various forms of discrimination, Concerned by manifestations of intolerance and by the existence of discrimination in matters of religion or belief still in evidence in some areas of the world, Resolved to adopt all necessary measures for the speedy elimination of such intolerance in all its forms and manifestations and to prevent and combat discrimination on the ground of religion or belief, Proclaims this Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief: Article 1 Article 2 Article 3 Discrimination between human being on the grounds of religion or belief constitutes an affront to human dignity and a disavowal of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and shall be condemned as a violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and enunciated in detail in the International Covenants on Human Rights, and as an obstacle to friendly and peaceful relations between nations.
Article 4 Article 5 Article 6 In accordance with article I of the present Declaration, and subject to the provisions of article 1, paragraph 3, the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief shall include, inter alia, the following freedoms: Article 7 The rights and freedoms set forth in the present Declaration shall be accorded in national legislation in such a manner that everyone shall be able to avail himself of such rights and freedoms in practice.
Article 8 Nothing in the present Declaration shall be construed as restricting or derogating from any right defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Human Rights.
Article 9 , Freedom of thought, conscience, and religion Article 10 , Freedom of thought, conscience and religion 1. (a) Declaration on Principles Guiding Relations between Participating States VII . Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief The participating States will respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion. … Within this framework the participating States will recognize and respect the freedom of the individual to profess and practice, alone or in community with others, religion or belief acting in accordance with the dictates of his own conscience. … Questions Relating to Security in Europe Principles (16) In order to ensure the freedom of the individual to profess and practice religion or belief, the participating State will, inter alia , (16.1) , take effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination against individuals or communities on the grounds of religion or belief in the recognition, exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms in all fields of civil, political, economic, social and cultural life, and to ensure the effective equality between believers and non-believers; (16.2) , foster a climate of mutual tolerance and respect between believers of different communities as well as between believers and non-believers; (16.3) , grant upon their request to communities of believers, practicing or prepared to practice their faith within the constitutional framework of their States, recognition of the status provided for them in their respective countries; (16.4) , respect the right of these religious communities to (16.5) , engage in consultation with religious faiths, institutions and organizations in order to achieve a better understanding of the requirements of religious freedom; (16.6) , respect the right of everyone to give and receive religious education in the language of his choice, whether individually or in association with others; (16.7) , in this context respect, inter alia , the liberty of parents to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions; (16.8) , allow the training of religious personnel in appropriate institutions; (16.9) , respect the right of individual believers and communities of believers to acquire, possess, and use sacred books, religious publications in the language of their choice and other articles and materials related to the practice of religion or belief; (16.10) , allow religious faiths, institutions and organizations to produce, import and disseminate religious publications and materials; (16.11) , favorably consider the interest of religious communities to participate in public dialogue, including through the mass media. (17) The participating States recognize that the exercise of the above‑mentioned rights relating to the freedom of religion or belief may be subject only to such limitations as are provided by law and consistent with their obligations under international law and with their international commitments. They will ensure in their laws and regulations and in their application the full and effective exercise of the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief. … (19) They will protect and create conditions for the promotion of the ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity of national minorities on their territory. They will respect the free exercise of rights by persons belonging to such minorities and ensure their full equality with others. … Co-Operation in Humanitarian and Other Fields Human Contacts (32) They will allow believers, religious faiths and their representatives, in groups or on an individual basis, to establish and maintain direct personal contacts and communication with each other, in their own and other countries, inter alia through travel, pilgrimages and participation in assemblies and other religious events. In this context and commensurate with such contacts and events, those concerned will be allowed to acquire, receive and carry with them religious publications and objects related to the practice of their religion or belief. (9) The participating States reaffirm that … (9.4) , everyone will have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right includes freedom to change one’s religion or belief and freedom to manifest one’s religion or belief, either alone or in community with others, in public or in private, through worship, teaching, practice and observance. The exercise of these rights may be subject only to such restrictions as are prescribed by law and are consistent with international standards; … Article 8 Freedom of conscience, the profession and free practice of religion shall be guaranteed. No one may, subject to law and order, be submitted to measures restricting the exercise of these freedoms.
Article III , Every person has the right freely to profess a religious faith, and to manifest and practice it both in public and in private.
Article XXII , Every person has the right to associate with others to promote, exercise and protect his legitimate interests of a political, economic, religious, social, cultural, professional, labor union or other nature.
Article 12 , Freedom of Conscience and Religion Under the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 and the Frank R.
Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2016 (Wolf Act), the Department of State is mandated to “… conduct training on religious freedom for all Foreign Service officers, including all entry level officers, all officers prior to departure for posting outside the United States, and all outgoing deputy chiefs of mission and ambassadors.” Executive Order 13926, issued on June 2, 2020, expanded this requirement to include all civil servants in the Foreign Affairs series, and required that such training be completed every three years. The Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute (FSI) works closely with the Office of International Religious Freedom (IRF) to accomplish these objectives. Foreign Service Officers receive training on international religious freedom and other human rights when they enter the Foreign Service and receive additional training through various levels and career stages.
FSI offers specialized courses on Religion and Foreign Policy and on Promoting Human Rights and Democracy, which features specific modules on international religious freedom. IRF offers Regional Religious Freedom Seminars to U.S. personnel assigned overseas. In FSI language and regional studies courses, reading materials and learning modules regularly address topics of religious freedom, the situation of minorities, and societal tolerance.
To meet the Wolf Act’s training requirements, the Department of State developed and launched a distance learning course in 2019 on the importance of advancing international religious freedom, which is now required for all Foreign Service Officers and civil servants in the Foreign Affairs series, and is available as an elective course for all other Department of State direct-hire employees. A module on international religious freedom is also presented during the Ambassadorial Seminar and Deputy Chiefs of Mission (DCM)/Principal Officer (PO) Seminar, which are mandatory before an Ambassador or a DCM/PO goes overseas, in order to meet an additional Wolf Act training requirement.
PROMOTING INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM This FSI distance learning course is mandatory for all Foreign Service officers and Civil Service officers in the Foreign Affairs series, and is strongly recommended for all other Department direct-hire employees, including locally employed staff of U.S. missions overseas. The purpose of this course is to explain the importance of international religious freedom, illustrate how religious freedom may be violated, explain why and how the United States promotes religious freedom worldwide, and prepare U.S. personnel to engage with governments and other foreign interlocutors and religious actors on issues related to international religious freedom.
REGIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM SEMINARS These two-to-three-day in-person region-specific seminars, offered by IRF staff three to five times per year at various locations, provide practical, in-depth training on U.S. efforts to advance respect for religious freedom to human rights officers and locally employed staff currently serving at U.S. missions. These seminars focus on helping officers in the field improve tradecraft and share best practices for advancing respect for religious freedom in their assigned countries, effectively engaging local religious community and civil society actors on that topic, providing effective reporting on religious freedom topics, and understanding how U.S.
Congressional interest and advocacy by U.S.-based civil society shapes this work. Sessions have taken place at locations including Bangkok, Frankfurt, Accra, Muscat, Port of Spain, Johannesburg, Panama City, and Budapest.
RELIGION AND FOREIGN POLICY This FSI course is typically conducted in person in Washington twice a year. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is now being offered virtually. The course educates U.S. government officials on common methods appropriate for engaging religious and faith-based communities in the field on foreign policy issues and teaches best practices for incorporating religious community outreach and religious freedom advocacy to advance broader U.S. foreign policy objectives and post engagement. Through a focus on tradecraft skills, the course trains entry- and mid-level officers serving in Washington and in embassies and consulates overseas to use the annual International Religious Freedom Report and other tools to expand outreach to, and strengthen relationships with, members of religious communities in furtherance of Department goals. Locally employed staff at missions overseas are also eligible to take the course. Course topics include: promoting religious freedom, tools for interfaith outreach and dialogue, the relationship between religion and foreign policy, religion and national security, addressing anti-Semitism and other forms of religiously-motivated societal intolerance, promoting mutual respect in foreign societies, understanding the situation of vulnerable religious minorities, understanding the roles played by women in religious communities, and U.S. initiatives to prevent and counter violent extremism.
PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY This FSI course is typically conducted in person in Washington three times a year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is currently being offered virtually. The course targets entry- and mid-level officers and locally employed staff from posts overseas to provide a broad overview of human rights-related issues and a deeper examination of key current issues, including U.S. policies, tools, and best practices for promoting democracy and human rights, including religious freedom, in the field. FSI and the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) jointly develop the curriculum, which includes a session designed by IRF devoted to religious freedom, along with other sessions that address issues relevant to religious freedom including human rights law, working with nongovernmental organizations, and monitoring and reporting human rights abuses.
UPDATING THE ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT AND THE INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT FSI offers this distance learning course for personnel in U.S. missions overseas and in Washington who draft, edit, and clear the annual Human Rights Report and the annual International Religious Freedom Report. The course provides detailed instruction on the annual update process. It also includes information on the legislative underpinning of the reports, tips on how to collect information throughout the year for both reports, and notes on how to develop a deeper understanding of the instructions for the two reports.
IRF works closely with FSI to integrate material on human rights, including religious freedom, into training at all levels, including during the Ambassadorial and Deputy Chiefs of Mission/Principal Officer Seminars.
IRF and FSI collaborate to include information about human rights, including religious freedom, into the long-term geographical area studies courses associated with language training. IRF officers, or other experts in the field, present topics such as international human rights law, including the right to freedom of religion; the landscape of theological beliefs of different religious groups; state actions targeting members of religious groups and violations and abuses of religious freedom; involvement of members of religious groups in politics; diplomatic tools used by the United States to promote respect for religious freedom; means of protection of those who have fled religious persecution; and the relationships among religious freedom, democracy, and national security.
FSI also offers more than 40 regional, sub-regional, country-specific, and thematic area studies courses, as well as familiarization courses on Afghanistan (13 offerings in 2021), Iraq (16 per year), and Pakistan (5 per year), many of which address aspects of the role and impact of religions and religious communities, including: religious practices; religious sensitivities; differing ways of thinking about religious identity; religion as a source of community, conflict, and peacebuilding; the relationship of religion to broader questions of citizenship, enfranchisement, and politics; and the link between human rights broadly and religious freedom.
IRF continually updates information and material distributed at relevant courses. It also has revamped or created intranet sites containing background materials on religious freedom and highlighting best practices for protecting and promoting religious freedom.
DRL and IRF intranet sites, which are available only to Department of State and embassy personnel, provide background on human rights and religious freedom issues, including country-specific information, information on the annual Religious Freedom Designations, and general information and points of contact in the Office of International Religious Freedom.
The following background materials related to religious freedom are made available to FSI students: When the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created, it assumed responsibilities formerly charged to the Immigration and Naturalization Service under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). DHS is committed to ensuring all applicants for asylum and refugee status are treated with fairness, respect, and dignity, and that all mandates of the IRFA involving the asylum and refugee programs are properly implemented. This appendix summarizes the actions of DHS U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations (RAIO) Directorate during calendar year (CY) 2021, regarding training provided to officers on violations of religious freedom and the development and implementation of guidelines that address potential hostile biases as required under Section 102(b)(1)(E) of the IRFA.
USCIS is responsible for adjudicating asylum applications, conducting protection screenings, and adjudicating requests for classification as a refugee outside of the United States. During CY 2021, USCIS also conducted interviews and made non-refoulment assessments pursuant to the Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP) [1] and Title 42. USCIS provides extensive training to refugee officers, asylum officers, international adjudications officers, and other officers temporarily detailed to perform these duties in order to prepare them to interview asylum applicants and refugee applicants and to assess, screen, or otherwise adjudicate their requests for protection.
During CY 2021, USCIS officer training for RAIO was composed of the RAIO Foundations Training Program (RAIO FTP) and adjudication-specific components addressing procedures specific to each case-type (refugee status, asylum, protection screenings, etc.) The USCIS RAIO FTP includes instruction related to principles of international human rights law, U.S. law governing refugee and asylum adjudications, non-adversarial interviewing techniques, credibility assessments, national security issues, country-of-origin information, legal research, eliciting testimony, decision making, and other critical topics. During the course, officers received specialized instruction to ensure unbiased refugee and asylum adjudications, including instruction on the nature of religious persecution abroad, religious freedom, and persecution on account of religion as one of the five protected grounds on which asylum and refugee status may be based. This instruction included material specifically on the IRFA and presentations on the IRFA by experts on religious persecution. The training materials are regularly updated to reflect any change in law, policy, and procedures, and incorporate relevant information on religious persecution from the Department of State, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and other sources. In CY 2021, USCIS trained 44 new asylum officers, 10 new refugee officers, and three international adjudications officers who frequently adjudicate refugee claims, and one RAIO Research Unit officer. USCIS also trained two immigration officers from the USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate who work in RAIO offices.
In addition to the instruction in the RAIO FTP, the case-specific training that follows includes additional instruction. For example, RAIO’S International and Refugee Affairs Division conducts FormI-590 Module training covering all topics necessary to fully adjudicate a refugee case , including content with specific emphasis on religious-based claims and claims with religious considerations, such as Lautenberg-Specter cases. Ten of RAIO’s staff received I-590 Module training in CY 2021. In addition, pre-departure briefings were provided prior to deployment on overseas refugee processing trips. These pre-departure briefings included an eight-day training session focused on specific issues related to the region where staff would travel and the refugee populations they would encounter. These briefings also highlighted particular concerns in the region regarding religious persecution, as well as specific issues related to refugee adjudications in that area.
In RAIO’s Asylum Division, further discussion of religious persecution is addressed in advanced training courses and in local asylum office training. The Asylum Division regularly updates its training materials and conducts training in local asylum offices to reflect any recently issued reports on religious persecution from the UNHCR and other organizations, as well as any recent developments in case law or country conditions on this issue. To this end, officers received continued instruction on how to consult and use the IRF reports in their adjudications as supplemented and enhanced with information from other reports, case law, and current events.
The RAIO Research Unit maintains a collection of materials regarding human rights conditions around the world. The Research Unit has published an online guide on internet research available to all USCIS staff. The guide includes links to governmental and nongovernmental web sites that contain information on religious persecution, as well as other issues relevant to asylum adjudications and refugee adjudications. The Research Unit answers queries from the field on matters of religious freedom and maintains a database of written responses that is available to officers. The Research Unit catalogs its holdings regarding religious freedom and related issues. The Research Unit provided presentations during pre-departure briefings, noted above, to officers as part of their preparation to adjudicate cases abroad, often delving into relevant religious freedom issues that are present in the case load. The Research Unit also provided presentations to asylum offices on country conditions that are relevant to the particular case composition of the respective offices, including issues of religious freedom. Periodically, the Research Unit invites guest speakers to USCIS to address significant international events, such as emerging or ongoing civil wars and human rights violations. When relevant, religious freedom issues are integrated into the discussion. The Research Unit produces a monthly news summary for officers throughout the agency on human rights abuses and sociopolitical developments around the world. The news summary frequently contains articles regarding religious intolerance and persecution.
For refugee applicant interviews, the Resettlement Support Centers, managed by the Department of State, hire and manage interpreters at refugee processing locations. Prior to the refugee interview, interpreters are notified of their roles and responsibilities and are placed under oath by USCIS officers and swear or affirm that interpretation will be complete and accurate and that they understand the confidential nature of the refugee interview. If there are indications the interpreter and applicant do not understand each other, or the interpreter is not properly fulfilling the obligations of the interpreter role, procedures are set forth for the USCIS officer to request a different interpreter for the interview. In the event an interpreter is found to be incompetent or displays improper conduct, the interpreter is replaced.
The Asylum Division conducts protection screening interviews as well as affirmative asylum interviews. In the protection screening context for CY 2021 (Safe Third Country screenings, credible fear and reasonable fear screening interviews, and MPP and Title 42 non-refoulement interviews), the Asylum Division provided contracted interpreters for those who could not proceed with an interview in English. Separate from protection screenings, USCIS asylum officers adjudicate the asylum applications of individuals in the United States who affirmatively apply for asylum. Immigration judges within the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review adjudicate the asylum applications of individuals in the United States who are placed in removal proceedings.
On September 23, 2020, USCIS implemented a temporary final rule (TFR) entitled Asylum Interview Interpreter Requirement Modification Due to COVID-19 (Asylum Interview Interpreter TFR), 85 FR 59655, which was extended at 86 FR 15072 (March 22, 2021), then extended at 86 FR 51781 (September 17, 2021), and later extended at 87 FR 14757 (March 16, 2022), until March 16, 2023. The Asylum Interview Interpreter TFR temporarily modifies regulations to provide that asylum applicants who cannot proceed with the interview in English are not required to provide interpreters at the affirmative asylum interview but rather must ordinarily proceed with USCIS-provided telephonic interpreters as long as they are fluent in one of the 47 languages listed in 8 CFR 208.9(h)(1). This temporary final rule also provides that if a USCIS interpreter is unavailable, USCIS will either reschedule the interview and attribute the interview delay to USCIS for the purposes of employment authorization under 8 CFR 208.7, or USCIS may, in its discretion, allow the applicant to provide an interpreter. This temporary change is one of USCIS’s mitigation efforts to protect the health and safety of Asylum Division employees and the public as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to conducting any interpretation for the asylum interview or protection screening interview, the interpreter (contracted by USCIS or applicant-provided) must take an oath to fully and accurately interpret the proceedings of the interview and to keep the contents of the interview confidential. The contracted interpreter monitor must also take an oath to report to the asylum officer any mistranslation observed during the interview. Included in the oath for all contracted interpreters/monitors is the requirement to immediately notify the officer if the contracted interpreter/monitor is unable to proceed in a neutral and unbiased manner, as well as to maintain the confidentiality of the interview. Procedures are in place for the asylum officer to terminate and reschedule the interview if the applicant-provided interpreter is found to be misrepresenting the applicant’s testimony, is incompetent, or displays improper conduct.
USCIS includes specific confidentiality and anti-bias provisions in the interpreter services contracts that are used by asylum offices to obtain interpreters for screening interviews and interpreter monitors for affirmative asylum interviews. The contracts include special provisions that ensure the security and confidentiality of the interview process. All individuals working under the Asylum Division’s interpreter services contracts are required to undergo suitability determinations and background investigations conducted by the USCIS Office of Security and Integrity (OSI). As part of the package submission to OSI for the suitability determination and background investigation, contractors are required to submit a signed and witnessed DHS Form 11000-6, which is a non-disclosure agreement. Additionally, all individuals working under the contract are required to complete a signed and notarized Confidentiality and Neutrality Statement. The contracts also require vendor interpreters to receive training, including sessions on security awareness and privacy to ensure the protection of sensitive information.
The Asylum Division interpreter contracts also include performance metrics to ensure professionalism, fluency, accuracy, and impartiality of contracted interpreters. To enforce these performance metrics, Asylum Division staff report to headquarters any concerns about the professionalism, accuracy, or neutrality of the interpretation. These concerns are raised with the contracting program manager of the interpreter services companies and may result in performance-related penalties. Under contract, the interpreter services companies must, in consultation with the Asylum Division, take appropriate steps to address these complaints. Depending on the seriousness of the infraction and/or the interpreter’s prior performance history, remedies may include retraining or removal from the contract(s). Ultimately, the Contracting Officer for the USCIS Asylum Division contract has the authority to remove an interpreter from the contract(s). [1 ] DHS began MPP in January 2019 and was suspended in January 2021. In December 2021, as required by court order, DHS reimplemented MPP in good faith.
The United States seeks to enable the safe and voluntary return of refugees to their home countries , the solution that most refugees prefer. This reflects the U.S. commitment to achieving the best humanitarian outcomes while advancing the foreign policy interests of the United States.
In Fiscal Year 2021 the United States was the largest single-country donor, providing nearly billion in humanitarian assistance to support crisis responses globally. This assistance reached tens of millions of people in need worldwide, providing international protection, urgent, life-saving support and services, including food, shelter, healthcare, education, and access to safe drinking water.
U.S. support for host countries, provided through contributions to humanitarian organizations, encourages host countries to continue sheltering those fleeing persecution and increases their access to work, education, and public services. This increases their self-reliance, encourages them to stay close to home, and facilitates their return when conditions allow. This, in turn, enables them to participate in rebuilding their homelands, promoting recovery and long-term stability of those countries and their neighbors , which also serves long-run U.S. foreign policy and national security interests.
Permanent resettlement in a third country is an option for certain refugees who cannot return to their home countries or remain in the countries of first asylum. Resettlement in the United States is accomplished through the U.S.
Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), which is managed by the Department of State in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
In Fiscal Year 2021, 11,411 refugees were resettled permanently in the United States and given a path to U.S. citizenship through USRAP. This included refugees who had experienced past persecution or had a well-founded fear of persecution on account of religion, as well as individuals from Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs) and Special Watch List countries, according to the following “Priorities” [1] : [1] Entering USRAP under a certain “priority” does not establish precedence in the order in which cases will be processed. Once cases are established as eligible for access under one of the three processing priorities, they all undergo the same processing steps. [2] Section 599D of Title V, P.L. 101-167, as amended. [3] Section 213 of Title II, Division E, of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2004, P.L. 108-199, as amended.
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