Washington, DC, November 10, 2020 – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:
“The Global Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses” Issue Update—This update describes official discrimination against Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world, with a particular focus on countries where members have been imprisoned for their beliefs. These include countries that USCIRF recommended in its 2020 Annual Report for designation as countries of particular concern, such as Eritrea, Russia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan; countries USCIRF recommended for the Special Watch List, including Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan; as well as South Korea and Singapore. The report also makes recommendations for U.S. policy.
USCIRF documents imprisoned Jehovah’s Witnesses on its Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims List, and Chair Gayle Manchin advocates for Jehovah’s Witness prisoner Dennis Christensen, imprisoned in Russia, as part of USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience project.
