Religious freedom conditions in Iraq have improved incrementally in key areas, but remain concerning overall. Religious minorities in the Nineveh Plains and Sinjar face major barriers to their safe return in the short term and to their secure, ongoing presence in the long term. More than any other single factor, a lack of security, mainly due to the corrosive presence of the largely Iranian-backed militias of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF)—al-Hashd al-Sha’bi, also known as Popular Mobilization Units (PMU)—continue to impede progress toward improved religious freedom conditions.

Religious freedom conditions in Iran are egregiously poor as the government continues to respond to calls for reform by systematically cracking down on religious minorities. The government uses its official religious interpretation of Islam as an ongoing basis for denying freedom of religion and belief to citizens who express dissent through peaceful protest, including women and LGBTQI+ people.

In spite of the significant regional political changes, Eritrea continues to have one of the worst religious freedom records in Africa and it has shown little interest in concretely improving the situation. No new religious institutions were officially registered, and thus only four religious communities remain legally permitted to operate: the Coptic Orthodox Church of Eritrea, Sunni Islam, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Evangelical Church of Eritrea, a Lutheran-affiliated denomination.