Countries of Particular Concern: US

Subject – IR

Context – U.S. designates Pakistan and China as countries of particular concern for religious freedom violation

Concept –

The United States designated several nations, including Pakistan, China, Iran, North Korea and Myanmar, as countries of particular concern for violation of religious freedom.
US also announced to place Algeria, Comoros, Cuba, and Nicaragua on a Special Watch List for governments that have engaged in or tolerated “severe violations of religious freedom.
The U.S. also designated al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Houthis, ISIS, ISIS-Greater Sahara, ISIS-West Africa, JamaatNasr al-Islam walMuslimin and the Taliban as ‘Entities of Particular Concern’.

Country of Particular Concern (CPC):

Designation of the CPC is the top tier recommendation by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) when it comes to violation of international religious freedom. It is followed by Special Watch List Countries for severe violations.
This is in line with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 which was passed to promote religious freedom as a foreign policy of the United States.
The Act aims to promote greater religious freedom in countries which engage in or tolerate violations of religious freedom, and to advocate on the behalf of individuals persecuted for their religious beliefs and activities in foreign countries.
Nations on the CPC list for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.
Special Watch List: Governments that have engaged in or tolerated “severe violations of religious freedom” are included in this list.