On November 5, 2021, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) issued recommendations to include several countries in the list of those of particular concern due to the state of religious freedoms.
According to the Sova information agency, the Commission recommended that the State Department amend the existing list of countries of particular concern (CPC) and those on the Special Watchlist (SWL).
To the first list, the Commission suggested to include India, Russia, Syria, Vietnam, and to the second – Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.
It is not the first time the Commission held Russia in the spotlight. In the annual report for 2020, the USCIRF noted the largest number of violations of the right to freedom of religion recorded in this country.
