News:The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has downgraded India to the lowest ranking, “countries of particular concern” (CPC) in International Religious Freedom Report, 2020.
Facts:
- CPC status is a status under International Religious Freedom Act enacted by USA in 1998. It is given to countries which engage in or tolerate systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.
- The other countries in the CPC category in 2020 report are China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Russia, Syria, Vietnam, Eritrea, Iran, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan
- In 2019, India was placed in Tier 2 country category.
- Tier 2 countries are those in which violations engaged in or tolerated by the government during the concerned time period are serious and meet at least one of the elements of the “systematic, ongoing, egregious” standard for designation as CPC
Additional Facts:
USCIR: It is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission which seeks to defend the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad.
