US includes Azerbaijan in list of countries fully ensuring freedom of religion

By Ayya Lmahamad

The U.S. has included Azerbaijan to the list of countries with the full religious freedom, the State Committee for Work with Religious Structures has reported.

This was stated in the statement published by the U.S. States Commission on International Religious Freedom in connection with the situation of religious freedom in the world.

According to the State Department, the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 divided countries into two categories of “special concern” and “special observation”.

The USCIRF statement reads that in the report for 2020, the “special observation” list mentioned the recommendation to include Azerbaijan there.

However, this year Azerbaijan was not included in any of the abovementioned categories.

USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission created by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) that monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad.

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Ayya Lmahamad is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @AyyaLmahamad

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