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Religious Freedom Report Affirms U.S. Support for Human Rights

Secretary of State Colin Powell announces the release of the sixth annual International Religious Freedom report, September 15. (AP)

The release of the U.S. Department of State's sixth annual International Religious Freedom report "signifies America's support for all who yearn to follow their conscience without persecution," said U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.

The report outlines barriers to and improvements in religious freedom in countries throughout the world, and designates certain countries as "Countries of Particular Concern (CPC)" for severe violations of religious freedom. Five countries that had been designated CPC's in 2003 -- Burma, China, Iran, North Korea and Sudan -- have been re-designated as CPC's, with the addition of Eritrea, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam this year.

"Let me emphasize that we will continue engaging the Countries of Particular Concern with whom we have bilateral relationships," Powell said. "Our existing partnerships have flourished in numerous capacities and they are just one of the best ways for us to encourage our friends to adopt tolerant practices."

Powell also commended countries such as Turkey and Georgia who "have adopted good practices or have taken steps to promote greater tolerance for all religious faiths."

The full text of the 2004 International Religious Freedom Report can be found at: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/

Below find the text of Secretary Powell's remarks:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
September 15, 2004
 
ON-THE-RECORD BRIEFING
 
Remarks by Secretary of State Colin Powell at the Rollout of the
Report on the Release of the 2004 Annual Report on
International Religious Freedom
 
SECRETARY POWELL: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Today I submitted to Congress the Department of State's sixth annual Report on International Religious Freedom. Ambassador Hanford and his team have done an outstanding job preparing his report, and it is now available on the Department's website, www.state.gov.
 
America's commitment to religious liberty is older than our nation itself. The men and women who journeyed to this new world believed that one's conscience was sacred ground upon which government cannot tread.
 
Those courageous settlers cherished religious freedom as one of many inalienable rights inherent in human nature itself, one of those rights that formed the moral foundation of all just political orders.
 
As President Bush has said, religious liberty is the first freedom of the human soul. America stands for that freedom in our own country, and we speak for that freedom throughout the world.
 
With the release of today's report, we reaffirm the universal spirit of our nation's founding. We reaffirm that government exists to protect human rights, not to restrict them; and we stand in solidarity with people everywhere who wish to worship without coercion.
 
Country by country, this report documents the conditions of religious freedom around the world. We are always eager to commend nations that have made progress over the past year, and the report's Executive Summary acknowledges countries, such as Georgia and Turkey, that have adopted good practices or have taken steps to promote greater tolerance for all religious faiths.
 
But the report also makes clear that too many people in our world are still denied their basic human right of religious liberty. Some suffer under totalitarian regimes, others under governments that deliberately target or fail to protect religious minorities from discrimination and violence. By shining a light on this issue, this report signifies America's support for all who yearn to follow their conscience without persecution.
 
The report also identifies what we refer to as Countries of Particular Concern, governments that engage in or tolerate gross infringements of religious freedom. Our decisions are based on a careful assessment of the facts and represent a fundamental standard of human dignity that all nations should uphold.
 
Today we are re-designating five countries that, in our judgment, continue to violate their citizens' religious liberty: Burma, China, Iran, North Korea and Sudan. We are also adding three additional countries to this list: Eritrea, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam.
 
Let me emphasize that we will continue engaging the Countries of Particular Concern with whom we have bilateral relationships. Our existing partnerships have flourished in numerous capacities and they are just one of the best ways for us to encourage our friends to adopt tolerant practices.
 
The release of today's report underlines our nation's commitment to the protection of religious liberty. This solemn duty has always defined the American character and will forever shape our purpose in the world. Defending the sacred ground of human conscience is a natural commandment to all mankind, and America will always heed this call.
 
I would now like to introduce Ambassador Hanford, who will take you through the report and answer any questions that you might have. Thank you.