Uzbekistan added to list of violators of religious liberties

Published: 2005-05-12

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan has been added to a list of 10 countries that engage in egregious violations of religious freedom, said a U.S. watchdog agency. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is once again recommending that Myanmar, North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan and Vietnam be named as "countries of particular concern" by the U.S. State Department. Preeta Bantal, commission chairwoman, said the U.S. government should use sanctions and other diplomatic means against countries cited by the commission. The commission also recommended that the State Department remove India from its list of "countries of particular concern," citing "significant" improvements, such as the defeat of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party in 2004 elections. The commission also removed Laos and Georgia from its watch list because of improvements in those countries.

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