More than a dozen nations have engaged in “systematic, ongoing and egregious violations” of religious freedom, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2023 Annual Report published May 1.

The report recommends to the U.S. State Department that 17 countries be designated as “countries of particular concern,” or CPC, which indicates that the nation has violated the International Religious Freedom Act by engaging in, or tolerating, “systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom.”

Of the 17 countries in USCIRF’s list, 12 received a CPC designation from the State Department in 2022: Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

The five additional nations recommended by USCIRF to receive a CPC designation are: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Syria and Vietnam.

In addition to the four countries (Algeria, Central African Republic, Comoros and Vietnam) that the State Department designated to the Special Watch List, USCIRF recommended that Vietnam be moved to the CPC list and that nine countries (Azerbaijan, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Uzbekistan) be added.

An SWL designation indicates that the country “does not to meet all of the CPC criteria but engages in or tolerates severe violations of religious freedom,” according to the State Department.

Summaries on the religious freedom violations taking place in each of the countries recommended for the CPC and SWL designations are provided in the USCIRF report.

In addition, USCIRF provided a series of recommendations to the Biden administration and to Congress, including the appointment of a special adviser on international religious freedom to the National Security Council, prioritizing “for resettlement survivors of the most egregious forms of religious persecution,” and permanently reauthorizing USCIRF.

“USCIRF is disheartened by the deteriorating conditions for freedom of religion or belief in some countries— especially in Iran, where authorities harassed, arrested, tortured, and sexually assaulted people peacefully protesting against mandatory hijab laws, alongside their brutal continuing repression of religious minority communities.” USCIRF Chair Nury Turkel said in a press release announcing the report. “We strongly urge the Biden administration to implement USCIRF’s recommendations.”

The full report is available here.