Blinken criticizes violations of religious freedom in Iran, China and Saudi Arabia
At the presentation of the US State Department's annual report on religious freedom, Antony Blinken accused three countries - Iran, Saudi Arabia and China - of violating this freedom. The US Secretary of State also warned of the rise of anti-Semitism in the world.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sharply criticized Iran, China, Saudi Arabia and several other countries for widespread violations of religious freedom.
At the presentation of the US State Department's annual report on religious freedom around the world on Wednesday, May 12 (local time), Blinken considered religious freedom to be the cornerstone of a free and stable society, and said that many people around the world live without this right.
The US Secretary of State pointed to Saudi Arabia as the only country in the world without a church, despite the fact that more than a million Christians live there. According to the State Department's annual report on religious freedom, "blasphemy" in Saudi Arabia carries a long prison sentence.
According to the report, in Iran, those who convert from Islam to Christianity are persecuted. Non-Muslim minorities, especially Baha'is, are also discriminated against and persecuted.
Blinken accused China of crimes against humanity and genocide against Uyghur Muslims and other religious minorities. He also held the Myanmar government responsible for the violence committed by the non-Muslim minority against the Muslim majority.
The US Secretary of State accused Russian security forces of persecuting followers of the Jehovah's Witnesses branch of Christianity and the Muslim minority.
The US State Department's annual religious freedom report also highlights some positive points, including the repeal of discriminatory religious laws in Sudan and the release of hundreds of prisoners of conscience in Uzbekistan.
Antony Blinken also warned of the rise of anti-Semitism in the United States and around the world. “The past has shown that anti-Semitism is often accompanied by violence,” he said. The US Secretary of State called anti-Semitic hatred a “serious problem” in Europe and the United States.
The annual International Religious Freedom Report has been produced by the U.S. Department of State since 1998.
Source: DW
