Washington, DC:

In a move defying pleas from human rights groups and religious leaders, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday opted against designating Nigeria and India as ‘countries of particular concern’ (CPCs) for religious freedom violations. This decision ignited immediate backlash, with the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) calling it “extreme disappointment.”

The annual list released by the State Department maintained the previous year’s 12 CPCs, including notorious offenders like Burma, China, and Saudi Arabia, and added only Azerbaijan to the watchlist. This sparked outrage among advocates who argued that both Nigeria and India, with their escalating violence against religious minorities, deserved harsher sanctions.

Nigeria, where thousands of Christians have been killed by militant groups like Boko Haram and Fulani herders, was removed from the CPC list by Blinken in 2021. This decision drew strong criticism then and was further amplified by the recent Christmas massacre in Plateau State.

Open Doors, a religious freedom watchdog, reported over 5,000 Nigerian Christian deaths in 2022 alone. India, facing accusations of Hindu nationalist-driven persecution of Muslims and Christians, also remained uncategorized. USCIRF highlighted India’s “increasing transnational repression” targeting religious minorities abroad and advocates.

United Nations experts published a statement in 2023 on the severe circumstances in the northeast Indian state of Manipur. The concerns included claims of sexual violence, extrajudicial killings, forced relocation, torture, and ill-treatment in Manipur. Many hateful statements, both online and offline, were expressed before the Manipur violence. There are claims that this hate speech was used to defend the crimes against the Kuki ethnic minority, especially against women, because of their ethnic background and religious convictions. In addition, as noted by the UN experts, there have been allegations of the misuse of counterterrorism measures to justify acts of violence and persecution against minorities. Three well-known experts in international law, Sonja Biserko, Marzuki Darusman, and Stephen Rapp, comprised the Panel of Independent International Experts, which released a report in 2022 detailing grave human rights abuses committed against Muslims in India since 2019.

Blinken offered no official explanation for his decision, but the Joe Biden administration has previously attributed Nigerian violence to resource conflicts, not religious persecution. This stance is fiercely contested by advocates like USCIRF, who point to the overwhelming evidence of targeted attacks on religious communities.

The commission, appointed by Congress to advise the State Department, expressed “extreme disappointment” and urged a Congressional hearing on the matter. Additionally, it welcomed Azerbaijan’s inclusion on the watchlist but condemned the omission of Afghanistan, Syria, Vietnam, and others from the main CPC list.

The decision also ignited a firestorm within the religious freedom community. Over two dozen leading groups, including prominent individuals like David Curry and Katrina Lantos Swett, signed a petition urging lawmakers to pressure the administration into action. New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith’s bipartisan bill calling for Nigeria’s CPC designation and a special envoy to monitor the region remains in the works. Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, a leader from Nigeria’s heavily Christian Benue state, expressed gratitude to US advocates for pushing Washington to address the crisis.

“There is no justification as to why the State Department did not designate Nigeria or India as a Country of Particular Concern, despite its own reporting and statements. USCIRF calls on Congress to convene a public hearing on the failure of the State Department to follow our recommendations,” said USCIRF Chair Abraham Cooper and Vice Chair Frederick Davie.

Secretary Blinken also placed Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Comoros, the Central African Republic, and Azerbaijan on the Special Watch List for committing or permitting egregious abuses of religious freedom. Finally, he named the Taliban, al-Qaeda branch Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, al-Shabab, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Houthis, ISIS-Sahel, and ISIS-West Africa as Entities of Particular Concern.