USCIRF Releases Report on the Anti-cult Movement and Religious Regulation in Russia and Central Asia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

USCIRF Releases Report on the Anti-cult Movement and Religious Regulation in Russia and Central Asia

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following report:

Religious Regulation Issue Update – This issue update explains the legacy of Soviet-era legislation as well as the substantial influence of the western anti-cult movement on contemporary religious regulation in Russia and Central Asia. The report describes the institutions and highlights individuals driving the restrictions of religious freedom—including an ongoing crackdown on the Jehovah’s Witnesses—and offers policy recommendations to address the challenges that the region poses to these essential rights.

In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. State Department designate Russia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as “countries of particular concern” for their ongoing, systematic, and egregious religious freedom violations, and include Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on its Special Watch List.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on threats to religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or Danielle Ashbahian at [email protected].