The United States has issued its annual report on religious freedom around the world. The State Department study singled out Afghanistan, whose Taliban government was ousted by U.S.-led forces, as virtually the only country achieving significant improvements in religious freedom last year.

Washington, 8 October 2002 (RFE/RL) -- A new U.S. government report on the state of religious freedom around the world says millions of people are still deprived of the rights to openly practice their faith. The State Department report issued yesterday faults Iran, Iraq, China, and North Korea as being particularly hostile to certain religions.

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In issuing the report, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell noted that freedom of religion is a cornerstone of U.S. democracy. "Our commitment to religious liberty lies at the heart of our national experience as Americans. Many of our ancestors fled religious persecution, coming to these shores seeking the freedom to practice their faith. They laid the foundation for a society in which every person could worship free of fear, free of discrimination, and free of coercion. Americans now live in a country in which faith and freedom thrive," Powell said.

Powell said inexcusable assaults on individual liberty and personal dignity cannot be justified in the name of any religion or culture. He said the United States rejects the notion that the security or stability of any country requires the repression of members of any faith or precludes the promotion of religious tolerance. "Religious freedom, we believe strongly, is an inalienable right of every human being. The existence of this right is beyond dispute. It is enshrined in the universal declaration of human rights and in a host of other international instruments," Powell said.

The following is a partial list of countries and their religious records, according to the report.

CHINA
Unapproved religious and spiritual groups remain under scrutiny and, in some cases, harsh repression. The government continues its harsh treatment of Falun Gong.

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For a list of all countries covered by the report, please go to the following website: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2002/c7599.htm.

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