Nigeria has been removed from the list of countries “engaging in violation of religious freedom” by the US.
US Secretary of State to the US government, Antony Blinken, announced this in a statement on Wednesday.
This announcement was made ahead of his visit to Nigeria.
He said in his statement that US government had blacklisted Russia, China and eight others as Countries of
“Particular Concern for having engaged in or tolerated ‘systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.”
He also said that the United States will not waiver in its commitment to advocate for freedom of religion or belief for all and in every country. In far too many places around the world, governments have been seen to harass, arrest, threaten, jail, and kill individuals simply for seeking to live their lives in accordance with their beliefs.
He said:
“This Administration is committed to supporting every individual’s right to freedom of religion or belief, including by confronting and combating violators and abusers of this human right.”
“Each year the Secretary of State has the responsibility to identify governments and non-state actors, who, because of their religious freedom violations, merit designation under the International Religious Freedom Act.
“I am placing Algeria, Comoros, Cuba, and Nicaragua on a Special Watch List for governments that have engaged in or tolerated “severe violations of religious freedom.” “Finally, I am designating al-Shabab, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Houthis, ISIS, ISIS-Greater Sahara, ISIS-West Africa, Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, and the Taliban as Entities of Particular Concern,”
It is recalled that the US had sometime In December 2020 listed Nigeria among countries blacklisted for violating religious freedom.