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1 1 (January 14, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govebsm0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Inforrning the legislative debate since 1914 0 Updated January 14, 2021 Global Human Rights: International Religious Freedom Policy Introduction For decades, U.S. policymakers have sought to promote religious freedom abroad, reflecting both support for human rights in U.S. foreign policy as well as the particular emphasis on freedom of religion in U.S. domestic law and political culture. Protection of religious freedom is also affirmed in international law through the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and other instruments. Congress has been an advocate for international religious freedom issues and has sought to ensure continued support for religious freedom as a focus of U.S. foreign policy, most prominently through passage of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA). Legislative Background The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-292) is the foundational legislation for U.S. international religious freedom (IRF) policy. Recognizing religious freedom as a universal human right, IRFA created various government mechanisms aimed at cementing IRF as a foreign policy priority of the United States. Most significantly, the law created an Office on International Religious Freedom within the State Department headed by an Ambassador at Large (AAL) for IRF; required that the Secretary of State issue an annual report on the status of religious freedom around the world; mandated that the President identify countries of particular concern (CPCs) and prescribed punitive actions in response to violations of religious freedom, subject to presidential waiver authority; created the independent U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF); and amended the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to make inadmissible into the United States foreign government officials who have committed particularly severe religious freedom violations. Congress has subsequently strengthened IRFA via amendment, notably through the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act (Wolf IRFA; P.L. 114-281), which became law in December 2016. The major provisions of the law called for the AAL for IRF to have a greater role within interagency policy processes and to report directly to the Secretary of State; mandated designation of a special watch list of countries with severe violations of religious freedom but that did not meet CPC criteria; and mandated designation of nonstate entities of particular concern (EPCs). The State Department's Role The State Department leads the federal government's efforts to promote international religious freedom. The AAL for IRF heads the Office on International Religious Freedom (IRF Office). Per IRFA, the AAL integrates IRF policies into U.S. foreign policy efforts and is to participate in any interagency processes in which the promotion of IRF can advance United States national security interests. The AAL and the IRF Office lead the drafting of the annual international religious freedom report and advise the Secretary of State on U.S. policy actions in response to religious freedom violations. Sam Brownback, confirmed by the Senate in January 2018, serves as the current AAL. Other senior State Department positions related to religious freedom include the congressionally mandated position of Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating anti- Semitism (currently held by Elan S. Carr), and the Special Advisor for Religious Minorities in the Near East and South/Central Asia (currently vacant). In June 2019, Secretary of State Pompeo announced that the State Department was elevating the IRF Office and the Office of the Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating anti-Semitism by designating that these offices report directly to the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights. The offices had previously been situated within the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Pursuant to IRFA, the AAL for IRF continues to report to the Secretary of State. International Religious Freedom Report The IRF report, which is statutorily required by May 1 each year, covers developments in each foreign country during the prior calendar year and includes information on the status of religious freedom, violations of religious freedom, and relevant U.S. policies. The IRF report is the official U.S. government account of religious freedom conditions abroad, and is a primary information source for the Secretary of State's country of particular concern designations. The report covering calendar year 2019 was submitted to Congress on June 10, 2020, and is available on the Department of State website. Countries (and Entities) of Particular Concern IRFA mandates that the President, using information from the IRF report and other sources, designate particularly severe religious freedom violators as countries of particular concern (CPCs) (see Figure 1). The law defines particularly severe violations as those that are systematic, ongoing, and egregious. The Wolf IRFA mandated an additional special watch list of countries with severe religious freedom violations but that do not reach the threshold of systematic, ongoing, and egregious. In recognition of religious freedom abuses carried out by the Islamic State and other nonstate actors, Wolf IRFA also igross.gov

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