The United States released its annual International Religious Freedom Report on Wednesday, covering the period from January 1 to December 31, 2023.
The report, presented to Congress, describes the state of religious freedom in each country and includes government policies that violate the religious beliefs and practices of religious groups, sects, and individuals, as well as U.S. policies to promote religious freedom worldwide.
The U.S. Department of State issues the reports in accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.
In a press conference held in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated, “Religious freedom remains unrespected for millions of people around the world,” revealing that “hate crimes have increased in the United States since Hamas’s attack on Israeli towns in October of last year.”
Blinken added, “In every region, people still face violence on religious grounds, and discrimination based on religion, whether from governments or their fellow citizens, stressing that people may “be denied schooling, denied jobs, harassed, beaten, or worse” due to religious discrimination.”
The report is based on initial drafts provided by U.S. embassies, relying on information from government officials, religious groups, non-governmental organizations, journalists, human rights monitors, academics, and media outlets.
