Azerbaijan Added to State Department Watch List as India, Nigeria Omitted

The U.S. State Department has released the annual list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) as well as those placed on the Special Watch List for 2023 as defined by the Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).

Under the terms of IRFA, the U.S. Secretary of State can determine that a country is a CPC when that country has engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom during the reporting period which is a calendar year. The violations are found to be ongoing, systemic, and egregious. Some of those violations which are used as criteria include: torture, degrading treatment or punishment, prolonged detention without charges or other flagrant denial to the life, liberty or the security of persons.

A country is placed on the Special Watch List (SWL) when it is determined that it does not fully meet the criteria of being designated as a CPC but engages in or tolerates severe violations of religious freedom.

An Entity of Particular Concern (EPC) is defined as a non-state actor that engages in particularly severe violations of religious freedom and meets certain other factors.

Countries designated as a CPC were: Burma, the People’s Republic of China, Cuba, North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Those countries placed on the Special Watch List are: Algeria, Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic, Comoros and Vietnam.

Entities of Particular Concern were found to be Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahir al-Sham, the Houthis, ISIS-Sahel, ISIS-West Africa Province, Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin and the Taliban.

Compared to the list for 2022, the only differences are the removal of the Russian Private Military Company Wagner for its activities in the Central African Republic and the addition of Azerbaijan to the SWL.

The addition of Azerbaijan to the SWL is tied to the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh which saw thousands of ethnic Armenians forced from their homes in a short span. This action has already been criticized by religious voices within Azerbaijan as “extremely biased”.

There are glaring omissions. Once again, both India and Nigeria were not designated as CPC countries. The decision regarding Nigeria is frustrating as Boko Haram and ISWAP are both designated as EPCs while more than 200 Christians were murdered in the country over the Christmas holiday. It appears that there is some disconnection regarding how these events are documented and reported back to Washington.

In what could be seen as a sign of frustration, USCIRF issued a press release that called for a Congressional hearing to ascertain why both India and Nigeria were omitted as CPC countries. This is an overdue and welcome step.

Other countries have had major events in 2023 that may have not generated much media coverage but should have resulted in these nations’ placement on the Special Watch List.

The first is Sudan. In 2023, the country slid into a civil war as two rival military leaders – General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Army, and General Hemeti, leader of the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary force based in Darfur – both sought to gain power. On more than one occasion Churches have come under fire as fighting continues.

The other country that is deserving of at least an SWL status is Uganda. A dark pattern has emerged there which has been largely ignored by the media. Those converting to Christianity from Islam have been persecuted. Some have been driven from their homes, others have been attacked while evangelizing and even killed. Another actor, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) has launched attacks in both Western Uganda and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Why neither Uganda nor the DRC have made the CPC/SWL, or the ADF has been designated as an EPC, is concerning as tensions in the region remain high.

Overall the list is workable for advocacy defending the Persecuted Church. There are omissions, but it appears that some efforts are paying off and that should bolster advocacy efforts. We should continue to press forward with raising our concerns for our brothers and sisters in Christ.