USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Freedom Under Syrian Rebel Group HTS

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

Religious Freedom in Syria Under Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham – This factsheet analyzes religious freedom conditions in northwestern Syria under the de facto governance of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate and U.S.-designated terrorist group. The rebel group continues to grow its administrative power in the northwest, including parts of the Idlib governorate, one of the last and largest strongholds against President Bashar al-Assad’s government.  Although HTS has cut formal ties with al-Qaeda and launched an active public relations campaign to rebrand itself as a legitimate civic authority, its authoritarian and ideologically driven governance—as well as its ever-evolving relations with other non-state and state actors vying for control in parts of Syria—puts northwest Syria’s religiously diverse population at continued risk.

In its 2022 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. State Department redesignate HTS as an Entity of Particular Concern (EPC) for its ongoing violations of religious freedom, and that the Treasury Department impose targeted sanctions on additional HTS leaders. In November 2022, USCIRF’s Spotlight podcast highlighted religious freedom under HTS’s recent governance. USCIRF also hosted a hearing on Freedom of Religion or Belief in Syria addressing both non-state and state actors’ violations of religious freedom.

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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 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]. 

USCIRF Releases Report on Religious Freedom in Sri Lanka

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

Sri Lanka Country Update – This report provides an overview of religious freedom conditions in Sri Lanka in 2022. This past year, the country sank into a severe economic crisis that precipitated a serious lack of fuel and basic necessities. As a result of this crisis and overall dissatisfaction with the government, citizens from across the country launched a major protest movement that called for systemic change in governance. Prior to and during the protests which led to the July resignation of then President Mahinda Rajapaksa, religious freedom violations occurred involving the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), discrimination against Muslims and other religious minorities, and land disputes which threaten religious minority property. In the aftermath of the protests, Sri Lankan authorities harassed religious actors associated with the protest movement and intimidated minority religious communities.

USCIRF previously reported on Sri Lanka in its 2014 and 2015 Annual Reports, in publications regarding global blasphemy laws and limitations on minorities’ religious freedom in South Asia, and in the 2021 Sri Lanka Country Update. Additionally, USCIRF highlighted religious freedom conditions in Sri Lanka during an August 2022 episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast.

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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 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].