HomeReportsBureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor…2016 Report on International Religious Freedom hide 2016 Report on International Religious Freedom 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. In this section / Preface Preface Overview and Acknowledgements Why and How the Reports are Prepared How the Reports Are Used Acknowledgements Country Reports Africa (Sub-Saharan) East Asia and Pacific Europe and Eurasia Near East (Middle East and North Africa) South and Central Asia Western Hemisphere Appendix A: Universal Declaration of Human Rights Appendix B: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Appendix C: Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief Appendix D: Religious Freedom Commitments and Obligations From Regional Bodies Appendix E: Training at the Foreign Service Institute Related to the International Religious Freedom Act – 2016 Appendix F: Department of Homeland Security and the International Religious Freedom Act Appendix G: Overview of U.S. Refugee Policy – 2016 Appendix H: Errata Preface “From the beginning, America has been a place that has cherished the freedom of worship. Sadly, many around the globe do not enjoy this freedom… [W]e pray for the strength and wisdom to achieve a better tomorrow – one where good people of all faiths, Christians and Muslims and Jewish and Hindu, can follow their hearts and worship according to their conscience.” — President Donald J. Trump Religious freedom is a cherished American value and a universal human right. It has been 19 years since the enactment of the International Religious Freedom Act, landmark legislation that placed the promotion of religious freedom as a central element of America’s foreign policy. The United States promotes religious freedom as a moral imperative. As importantly, we promote religious freedom because countries that effectively safeguard this human right are more stable, economically vibrant, and peaceful. The failure of governments to protect this right breeds instability, terrorism, and violence. This annual report to Congress provides a detailed and factual overview of the status of religious freedom in nearly 200 countries and territories, and documents reports of violations and abuses committed by governments, terrorist groups, and individuals. America’s promotion of international religious freedom demands standing up for the rights of the world’s most vulnerable populations. ISIS’ brutal treatment of religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East has drawn a great degree of attention over the last few years. The 2016 Annual Report details these atrocities. ISIS has and continues to target members of multiple religions and ethnicities for rape, kidnapping, enslavement, and death. ISIS is clearly responsible for genocide against Yezidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims in areas it controlled. ISIS is also responsible for crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing directed at these same groups, and in some cases against Sunni Muslims, Kurds, and other minorities. The protection of these groups – and others who are targets of violent extremism – remains a human rights priority for the Trump Administration. This report serves as a resource for governments and citizens alike, helping to inform the work of faith leaders, lawmakers, rights advocates, academics, business leaders, multilateral institutions, and non-governmental organizations. We are firmly committed to advancing the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The release of this report gives voice to all those worldwide seeking to live their lives peacefully in accordance with their conscience. I hereby transmit the Department of State’s 2016 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom to the United States Congress. I appreciate the longstanding Congressional support for international religious freedom, and I look forward to working with Congress to preserve and protect this universal human right. Rex. W. Tillerson Secretary of State Overview and Acknowledgements Why and How the Reports are Prepared The Department of State submits this report to the Congress in compliance with section 102(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. U.S. embassies prepare the initial drafts of the reports based on information from government officials, religious leaders, nongovernmental organizations, journalists, human rights monitors, religious groups, academics, and others. U.S. foreign service officers go to great lengths, often under difficult circumstances, to collect the information on which the reports are based. The Office of International Religious Freedom collaborates in collecting and analyzing information for the country reports, drawing on its own consultations with foreign government officials, religious leaders, nongovernmental and faith-based organizations, representatives from the UN and other international and regional organizations and institutions, journalists, academic experts, community leaders, and Department of State offices. The Department’s guiding principle is to ensure that all relevant information is assessed as objectively, thoroughly, and fairly as possible. The reports can be directly accessed at http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm in a format that allows readers to search the texts and compare reports across regions and themes. Translations of the report are available via www.humanrights.gov . Both the International Religious Freedom Report and the Human Rights Report spotlight examples of abuses and restrictions that typify and illuminate the types of problems frequently reported in each country in 2016. 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, our goal is to shed light on the nature, scope, and severity of the violations we report with illustrative examples. Both reports cover the calendar year so that readers can reference the two reports jointly and benefit from year-end data. How the Reports Are Used A wide range of U.S. government agencies and offices use the reports to shape policy; conduct diplomacy; and inform assistance, training, and other resource allocations. The Secretary of State also uses the reports to help determine which countries have engaged in or tolerated “particularly severe violations” of religious freedom in order to designate “Countries of Particular Concern.” The reports are similarly used by the Secretary in determining which countries to place on the “Special Watch List” for having engaged in or tolerated “severe violations of religious freedom,” as recently mandated by the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2016. Acknowledgements This report reflects the dedicated 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 religious liberty. The reports were produced under the direction of Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) Acting Assistant Secretary Virginia L. Bennett, with guidance from Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Michael G. Kozak, Deputy Assistant Secretary Randy W. Berry, Deputy Assistant Secretary Scott Busby, and Special Advisor for Religious Minorities in the Near East and South/Central Asia Knox Thames. The editorial staff of the International Religious Freedom Report consists of the following: Editor-in-Chief: Robert W. Boehme; Senior Editors: Daniel T. Fantozzi, Andrew Goodman, Carol Rodley, Vicente Valle, and Juliet Wurr; Office of International Religious Freedom Director Daniel L. Nadel and Deputy Director David T. Morris; and the office’s editorial and support staff: Victoria Alvarado, Emily Beeler, Chelsea Brint, Z. Nicholas Brown, Warren Cofsky, Sean Comber, Stacy Bernard Davis, Leticia De los Rios, Serena Doan, Amber Footman, Cassandra Harris, Sameer Hossain, Faraz Khan, Sarah Krech, Christine Malarkey, Benjamin W. Medina, Elise Mellinger, Mariah J. Mercer, Douglas Padgett, Aneesa Patwary, Megan Patel, Robin Schulman, Ian Turner, Victoria L. Thoman, Sharon Umber, Ariel Volk, Laurel Voloder, and Daniel W. Wright. Special thanks to Laura Conn in the Office of the Legal Advisor, and to Aaron Bruce, Jonathan Collett, Janine Czarnecki, Carol Finerty, Claudette Laprise, and Kerri Spindler-Ranta in DRL’s Office of Policy Planning and Public Diplomacy for their contributions. Country Reports Africa (Sub-Saharan) Angola Cote d’Ivoire Kenya Niger South Sudan Benin Democratic Republic of the Congo Lesotho Nigeria Sudan Botswana Djibouti Liberia Republic of the Congo Swaziland Burkina Faso Equatorial Guinea Madagascar Rwanda Tanzania Burundi Eritrea Malawi Sao Tome and Principe The Gambia Cabo Verde Ethiopia Mali Senegal Togo Cameroon Gabon Mauritania Seychelles Uganda Central African Republic Ghana Mauritius Sierra Leone Zambia Chad Guinea Mozambique Somalia Zimbabwe Comoros Guinea-Bissau Namibia South Africa East Asia and Pacific Australia Fiji Mongolia Samoa Tuvalu Brunei Indonesia Nauru Singapore Vanuatu Burma Japan New Zealand Solomon Islands Vietnam Cambodia Kiribati Palau Taiwan China (Includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau) Laos Papua New Guinea Thailand Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Malaysia Philippines Timor-Leste Federated States of Micronesia Marshall Islands Republic of Korea Tonga Europe and Eurasia Albania Cyprus Iceland Moldova Serbia Andorra Czech Republic Ireland Monaco Slovak Republic Armenia Denmark Italy Montenegro Slovenia Austria Estonia Kosovo Netherlands Spain Azerbaijan Finland Latvia Norway Sweden Belarus France Liechtenstein Poland Switzerland Belgium Georgia Lithuania Portugal Turkey Bosnia and Herzegovina Germany Luxembourg Romania Ukraine Bulgaria Greece Macedonia Russia United Kingdom Croatia Hungary Malta San Marino Near East (Middle East and North Africa) Algeria Iraq Lebanon Qatar United Arab Emirates Bahrain Israel and The Occupied Territories Libya Saudi Arabia Western Sahara Egypt Jordan Morocco Syria Yemen Iran Kuwait Oman Tunisia South and Central Asia Afghanistan India Maldives Sri Lanka Uzbekistan Bangladesh Kazakhstan Nepal Tajikistan Bhutan Kyrgyz Republic Pakistan Turkmenistan Western Hemisphere Antigua and Barbuda Chile El Salvador Mexico Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Argentina Colombia Grenada Nicaragua Suriname Barbados Costa Rica Guatemala Panama The Bahamas Belize Cuba Guyana Paraguay Trinidad and Tobago Bolivia Dominica Haiti Peru Uruguay Brazil Dominican Republic Honduras Saint Kitts and Nevis Venezuela Canada Ecuador Jamaica Saint Lucia View report by: 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 (July-December) 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan The Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China (Includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau) Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote d’Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Finland France Gabon The Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel and The Occupied Territories Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyz Republic Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Republic of Korea Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovak Republic Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Build A Custom Report On This Page search > < Preface Overview and Acknowledgements Why and How the Reports are Prepared How the Reports Are Used Acknowledgements Country Reports Africa (Sub-Saharan) East Asia and Pacific Europe and Eurasia Near East (Middle East and North Africa) South and Central Asia Western Hemisphere Appendix A: Universal Declaration of Human Rights Appendix B: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Appendix C: Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief Appendix D: Religious Freedom Commitments and Obligations From Regional Bodies Appendix E: Training at the Foreign Service Institute Related to the International Religious Freedom Act – 2016 Appendix F: Department of Homeland Security and the International Religious Freedom Act Appendix G: Overview of U.S. Refugee Policy – 2016 Appendix H: Errata Tags Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Religious Freedom Back to Top Close 2016 Report on International Religious Freedom Build a Custom Report 01 / Select a Year 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 02 / Select Sections Select All Sections 03 / Select Countries You can add more than one country or area. Select all Deselect all Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan The Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Côte d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Fiji Finland France Gabon The Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Tibet Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam West Bank Western Sahara Xinjiang Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Build Your Custom Report