Washington, 29th October, Blagovest-info: Radio Free Europe informs that the U.S. government has issued annual report on religious freedom around the world.

At the report’s release on October 26 in Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called it the “world’s most comprehensive survey of religious freedom.” “This report examines how governments in 198 countries and territories are protecting or failing to protect religious freedom. It exposes different violations by states and societies. And it draws attention to positive steps made by many countries and organizations to promote freedom and interreligious harmony,” Clinton said.

The report is compilied by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom on the basis of information received from employees of American diplomatic missions in different counries. The authors of this document divide all countries into different categories considerening their violations of religious freedom principles. The countries with the most serious situations are labeled as «countries of particular concern ». The list of these countries violating religious freedom has not changed if to compare with the previous year. Washington calles the following countries as „countries of particular concern“: Uzbekistan, Iran, China, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, Eritrea, North Korea and Sudan.

In the section speaking of Russia, the report says that although the government “generally respects freedom of religion, the work of some religious minorities had been restricted. Russian authorities „did not always respect separation of church and state and the equality of all religions before the law.” Vague terms in the legislation system concerning battle against “extremism” had a detrimental effect on religious freedom. It goes on to say, “societal attitudes toward traditionally Muslim ethnic groups were negative in many regions and there were manifestations of anti-Semitism as well as hostility toward Roman Catholics and other non-Orthodox Christian denominations.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the US State Department report as politically engaged. The authorities of Vietnam and China also criticised the report.

In International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the U.S. Congress designates the promotion of religious freedom for all persons as a “a core objective of U.S. foreign policy.” In her remarks, Clinton noted that freedom to “profess, practice, and promote” religious believes is guaranteed in the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “This is not just an American value. It is a universal value,” Clinton added.