Religious freedom conditions remain troubled in much of the world, including in some of the most populous nations.  

These conditions can mean the difference between life and death, but they also lower the quality of life for countless millions of people. 

One of the ways the United States has contributed meaningfully as a leader of the free world is through the U.S. Department of State’s list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs) for violating religious freedom.

This roll of dishonor names and shames countries that show complicity in or indifference toward ongoing violations of religious freedom. It also sets up eligibility for sanctions against these countries. Other possible actions include freezing development aid, prohibiting U.S. banks from lending to those countries, or freezing the personal assets of prominent individuals.

There is also an embarrassment factor. A hopeless pariah state like North Korea likely doesn’t care too much about appearing on the CPC list. But it still serves a purpose because almost no other country wants to appear on a list alongside North Korea.  

Also, countries that have shown improvement might be removed from the CPC designation and instead receive the less severe Special Watch List (SWL) designation.

Under normal circumstances, these designations are updated each year, typically during the fall or winter. But it seems the circumstances have changed: As of today, the State Department’s list of religious freedom violators has not been updated since Dec. 29, 2023. 

That’s more than 28 months ago. By a significant margin, this is the longest delay since the CPC list first appeared in 1999. 

The Biden administration in 2024 and the Trump administration in 2025 each went a full year without releasing a new list. Such back-to-back neglect under two different presidents has never happened before.  

It’s worth noting that President Trump did manage to designate Nigeria a CPC on Oct. 31, 2025. Though many welcomed this designation, other countries deserve mention as well. 

A typical list includes about a dozen CPC countries, a half-dozen SWL countries, and then another half-dozen Entities of Particular Concern, which are typically terrorist groups. 

Except for the addition of Nigeria six months ago, no other country or organization has been designated in almost two and a half years. The time gap is mystifying. It’s not like violations of religious freedom have magically stopped everywhere else.  

Practicing the “wrong” faith in the world’s two largest countries can result in lengthy incarceration, acts of extreme degradation, or lethal violence.  

In Pakistan, currently the world’s fifth-largest country, the wrong faith lets others mistreat you with near-impunity. In Afghanistan, the wrong faith can see you expunged like a termite. A conversion to the wrong faith in Iran could make you regard Afghanistan’s methods as a preferable quick alternative.  

In Egypt, the wrong faith can see your daughter forcibly kidnapped and converted, and your family threatened into submission. Meanwhile, other countries like Algeria simply shut down houses of worship. 

If the United States can’t be bothered to keep tabs on these offenders, then who exactly will? How many other countries have enough clout to make offenders change their behavior? How many other countries have influential people who even care about such matters? 

At the start of 2026, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) expressed concern that the State Department has yet to make new designations. USCIRF provides annual recommendations of CPC countries that, at least in theory, assist the State Department in making its selections.  

USCIRF has done its job as usual, but the State Department has provided no relevant updates. One reason is that a crucial government position has remained vacant. 

“This is part of an unprecedented situation at the State Department, in which a new Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom has not yet been confirmed by the Senate, so the position remains unfilled,” said Allen D. Hertzke, a professor emeritus at the University of Oklahoma and author of the new book, “Why Religious Freedom Matters: Human Rights and Human Flourishing.” 

When occupied, the ambassador-at-large position helps ensure the State Department gives proper focus to international religious freedom initiatives.  

There was a nomination for this position in April 2025, but that nomination was blocked.  

“The fact that the stalemate has dragged on this long indicates the lack of priority given by the [current] administration to the international religious freedom program,” Hertzke said. 

Nothing says “lack of priority” more than letting an unprecedented delay grow longer. Tardiness to this extent sends the wrong kind of message. It tells the world’s worst violators that the leader of the free world no longer regards religious freedom as an active concern.  

Story by R. Cavanaugh 

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