The United States on Friday designated China, Iran and Russia, amongst others, as nations of specific concern underneath the Religious Freedom Act over extreme violations, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned.
Washington,UPDATED: Dec 3, 2022 03:09 IST
A police bike burns throughout a protest over the demise of Mahsa Amini, a girl who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic’s “morality police”, in Tehran, Iran on September 19. (Photo: Reuters)
By Reuters:
The United States on Friday designated China, Iran and Russia, amongst others, as nations of specific concern underneath the Religious Freedom Act over extreme violations, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned.
Blinken in an announcement mentioned these designated as nations of specific concern – which additionally embody North Korea and Myanmar – engaged in or tolerated extreme violations of spiritual freedom.
Algeria, the Central African Republic, Comoros and Vietnam have been positioned on the watch record.
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Several teams, together with the Kremlin-aligned Wagner Group, a non-public paramilitary group that’s lively in Syria, Africa and Ukraine, have been additionally designated as entities of specific concern. The Wagner group was designated over its actions within the Central African Republic, Blinken mentioned.
“Around the world, governments and non-state actors harass, threaten, jail, and even kill individuals on account of their beliefs,” Blinken mentioned within the assertion.
“The United States will not stand by in the face of these abuses.”
He added that Washington would welcome the chance to fulfill with all governments to stipulate concrete steps for elimination from the lists.
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Washington has elevated strain on Iran over the brutal crackdown on protesters. Women have waved and burned headscarves – necessary underneath Iran’s conservative costume codes – throughout the demonstrations that mark one of many boldest challenges to the Islamic Republic for the reason that 1979 revolution.
The United Nations says greater than 300 individuals have been killed to date and 14,000 arrested in protests that started after the Sept. 16 demise in custody of 22-year-old Kurdish lady Mahsa Amini after she was detained for “inappropriate attire.”
United Nations specialists have additionally referred to as on majority Shi’ite Muslim Iran to cease persecution and harassment of spiritual minorities and finish the usage of faith to curtail the train of elementary rights.
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The Baha’i group is among the many most severely persecuted non secular minorities in Iran, with a marked improve in arrests and concentrating on this yr, a part of what the U.N. specialists referred to as broader coverage of concentrating on dissenting beliefs or non secular practices, together with Christian converts and atheists.
The United States has expressed grave considerations about human rights within the western Chinese area of Xinjiang, which is house to 10 million Uyghurs.
Rights teams and Western governments have lengthy accused Beijing of abuses towards the primarily Muslim ethnic minority, together with compelled labor in internment camps.
The United States has accused China of genocide. Beijing vigorously denies any abuses.
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The different nations designated as nations of specific concern have been Cuba, Eritrea, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
The U.S. Religious Freedom Act of 1998 requires the president – who assigns the perform to the secretary of State – to designate as nations of specific concern states which can be deemed to violate non secular freedom on a scientific and ongoing foundation.
The act offers Blinken a variety of coverage responses, together with sanctions or waivers, however they aren’t automated.
Posted By:
Raajnandini Mukherjee
Published On:
Dec 3, 2022
