US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has issued a statement identifying countries and entities violating religious freedom, including Algeria as the only country from the North African and Maghreb region.
Algeria appears on the Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating serious violations of religious freedom, along with countries such as Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic, the Comoros, and Vietnam.
The Special Watch List designation means that, while Algeria is not a “Country of Particular Concern,” it should be closely monitored for its actions or tolerance of serious breaches of human rights freedom of religion. This inclusion in the said List raises concerns about the country’s record on religious freedom.
Countries of Particular Concern include Burma, the People’s Republic of China, Cuba, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan for their involvement in or tolerance of particularly severe violations of religious freedom.
Al-Shabab, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Houthis, ISIS-Sahel, ISIS-West Africa, Al-Qa’ida affiliate Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, and the Taliban are among the entities of Particular Concern.
Blinken issued an international plea for countries to work together to guarantee a secure planet for all. “Governments must end abuses such as attacks on members of religious minority communities and their places of worship, communal violence and lengthy imprisonment for peaceful expression, transnational repression, and calls to violence against religious communities.