III 

119TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 52 

Recognizing religious freedom as a fundamental right, expressing support 

for international religious freedom as a cornerstone of United States 

foreign policy, and expressing concern over increased threats to and 

attacks on religious freedom around the world. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 4, 2025 

Mr. LANKFORD (for himself, Mr. COONS, Mr. TILLIS, and Mr. KAINE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing religious freedom as a fundamental right, expressing support for international religious freedom as 

a cornerstone of United States foreign policy, and expressing concern over increased threats to and attacks 

on religious freedom around the world. 

Whereas freedom of religion is a fundamental right; 

Whereas the First Amendment of the Constitution stipulates 

that ‘‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise 

thereof’’; 

Whereas, in pushing for religious freedom in the Commonwealth of Virginia, James Madison argued that the right 

to freedom of religion ‘‘is precedent, both in order of time 


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•SRES 52 IS 

and in degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society’’; 

Whereas freedom of religion is a foundational element of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in the United 

States and abroad, as well as a guiding principle for 

United States foreign policy; 

Whereas Article 18 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights states ‘‘Everyone has the right to 

freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in 

public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in 

teaching, practice, worship, and observance’’; 

Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom stipulates that ‘‘freedom of religion or belief is an expansive right that includes the freedoms of 

thought, conscience, expression, association, and assembly’’; 

Whereas the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 

(22 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) recognizes religious freedom as 

a ‘‘universal human right’’; 

Whereas the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 

(22 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) requires the President to annually designate as a ‘‘country of particular concern’’ each 

country the government of which has engaged in or tolerated ‘‘particularly severe’’ religious freedom violations, including— 

(1) systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations 

such as torture; 

(2) cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; 


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(3) prolonged detention without charges; and 

(4) forced disappearances; 

Whereas, on December 29, 2023, the State Department designated Burma, the People’s Republic of China, Cuba, 

Eritrea, Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, 

Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, 

and Turkmenistan as countries of particular concern; 

Whereas the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom 

Act (Public Law 114–281;130 Stat. 1426) requires the 

President to annually designate countries with severe religious freedom violations that do not reach the threshold 

of ‘‘systematic, ongoing, and egregious’’ violations to a 

‘‘Special Watch List’’; 

Whereas, on December 29, 2023, the State Department designated Algeria, Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic, Comoros, and Vietnam as Special Watch List countries; 

Whereas, to enhance accountability for global human rights 

violations, including violations of religious freedom, President Joseph R. Biden signed the permanent authorization of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 2656 note) into law on April 8, 

2022; 

Whereas the Senate passed a resolution calling for the global 

repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws in 2020 

(Senate Resolution 458, 116th Congress, agreed to December 19, 2020); 

Whereas, in 2023 and 2024, threats to religious freedom 

worsened around the world, including incidents targeting 

the exercise of religion in public or private, participation 

in religious advocacy, conversion from one religion to anVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:01 Feb 05, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR52.IS SR52

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other, engagement in religious practices broadly, and 

those choosing to have no faith at all; 

Whereas there were thousands of incidents wherein religious 

freedom was violated in 2023, including— 

(1) the targeting of 2,228 individuals by 27 countries and entities; 

(2) the imprisonment of 1,491 individuals; 

(3) the ongoing imprisonment of 1,311 individuals; 

and 

(4) the death of 9 individuals while in custody; 

Whereas, as of 2024, there are 96 countries with legislation 

criminalizing blasphemy used to enforce arbitrary limitations on religious freedom of expression; 

Whereas the Department of State has determined that religious minorities continue to be victims of genocides that 

relate to matters of religious freedom, including in— 

(1) Burma, where security forces have committed 

crimes against humanity and genocide against Rohingya 

Muslims since 2017, including the systematic killing, torture, and confinement of Rohingyas to small, overcrowded camps without freedom of movement or access 

to adequate food, health care, and education; and 

(2) China, where since 2017 the Chinese government 

has committed crimes against humanity and genocide 

against Uyghurs, including by— 

(A) imprisoning more than 1,000,000 Uyghurs 

in ‘‘re-education camps’’; 

(B) subjecting Uyghur women to forced sterilizations and abortions; 

(C) deliberately separating Uyghur families; 

(D) instituting government surveillance through 

intrusive homestay programs; and 


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(E) eliminating the Uyghur language from educational materials; 

Whereas religious minorities face harassment, intimidation, 

violence, and imprisonment from state and non-state actors around the world, including in— 

(1) Afghanistan, where the Taliban has rigorously 

enforced its harsh interpretation of Shari’a law that violates the freedom of religion or belief of religious minorities, including Christians, Ahmadiyya Muslims, Baha’is, 

and nonbelievers who face imprisonment or death if discovered; 

(2) Burma, where in addition to violence targeted at 

religious minorities, strict laws in favor of the Buddhist 

majority regulate religious conversion, marriages, and 

births of non-Buddhists such as Muslims and Christians; 

(3) China, where the government utilizes targeted 

surveillance to monitor, harass, and detain Christians, 

Tibetan Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners, Uyghur 

Muslims, and other religious minorities for exercising 

their beliefs; 

(4) Cuba, where the government subjects religious 

leaders and groups that are unregistered through its Office of Religious Affairs to detention, interrogation, imprisonment, and confiscation of property; 

(5) India, where laws promoting religiously discriminatory policies, including laws that target religious conversion, interfaith relationships, the wearing of hijabs, 

and cow slaughter, have been implemented at the national, state, and local levels and negatively impact the 

livelihoods of Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, and 

Adivasis; 

(6) Iran, where the government disproportionately 

subjects members of religious minorities such as Baha’is, 


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Christians, Gonabadi Dervishes, and Sunni Muslims to 

amputations, floggings, detention, harassment, surveillance, executions, and exile; 

(7) Nicaragua, where the government arbitrarily detains and exiles religious clerics and leaders who advocate 

for the rights of religious minorities and criticize the government’s persecution of the Roman Catholic Church; 

(8) Nigeria, where the government’s enforcement of 

blasphemy laws embedded in Nigeria’s criminal and 

Shari’a codes results in the arbitrary detainment and imprisonment of those who express their religious identity; 

(9) North Korea, where any religion contrary to the 

ruling ideology known as Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism is 

deemed an existential threat to the state; 

(10) Pakistan, where religious minorities face 

killings, lynchings, mob violence, forced conversions, and 

sexual violence for their religious identities; 

(11) Russia, where laws on terrorism and extremism 

are used to target religious minorities such as Jehovah’s 

Witnesses, Muslims, and members of the Ukrainian 

Greek-Catholic Church for their beliefs; 

(12) Tajikistan, where the government represses the 

display of public religiosity by individuals of all faiths 

and institutes strict restrictions against Muslims, including a ban on beards and hijabs; 

(13) Turkmenistan, where the government controls 

all aspects of religious life and expression, monitors religious practice, and punishes nonconformity through administrative harassment, imprisonment, and torture; and 

(14) Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, where the 

Russian military has reportedly perpetrated at least 43 

cases of targeted persecution of the clergy and more than 

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resenting Orthodox Christians, Ukrainian Greek-Catholics, Roman Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, and Jehovah’s Witnesses since the launch of its full-scale invasion 

in February 2022; 

Whereas violent extremists and non-state actors continue to 

capitalize upon violence and instability in countries to 

perpetrate serious human rights violations against religious minorities, including in— 

(1) Latin America, where criminal gangs and paramilitary groups threaten and displace indigenous communities, destroy places of worship, and forcibly require conversion or renunciation of ancestral practices; 

(2) Nigeria, where violent, non-state militant groups 

such as Boko Haram target Christians, as well as persons engaged in ‘‘un-Islamic’’ activities, including Muslim 

critics and elders; 

(3) the Sahel region of Africa, where violent extremist organizations threaten violence against Christians who 

do not convert to Islam; 

(4) Syria, where violent extremist organizations restrict the religious freedom of non-confirming Sunni Muslims and threaten the property, safety, and existence of 

religious minority groups such as Alawites, Christians, 

and Druze; and 

(5) Yemen, where the Houthi rebels harass, defame, 

and incite hatred against vulnerable faith communities 

including the Christians, Baha’is, Jews, and non-religious 

persons who continue to be forced to flee to the south of 

the country or leave Yemen entirely; and 

Whereas religious sites continue to be damaged or destroyed, 

especially in areas of conflict, including in— 


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(1) Burma, where the military junta has destroyed 

approximately 200 houses of worship and religious sites 

such as Buddhist monasteries, churches, and mosques, 

and has occupied religious compounds for use as military 

bases; 

(2) China, where the government has destroyed 

mosques, shrines, gravesites, and other religious and cultural sites throughout Xinjiang and the country; 

(3) Ethiopia, where ongoing violence between the 

government and non-state actors has led to drone strikes 

and attacks on church compounds such as the Full Gospel Church in the Oromiya region in which 8 people were 

killed; 

(4) India, where places of worship such as Christian 

churches and Muslim madrasas continue to be destroyed, 

especially those in predominantly Christian and Muslim 

neighborhoods; 

(5) Nigeria, where violent, non-state groups, such as 

Boko Haram, attack population centers and religious targets, including churches and mosques; 

(6) Sudan, where members of the Rapid Support 

Forces attacked a Coptic Christian monastery and raided 

the Sudanese Episcopal Church in Khartoum, using both 

as bases for military operations; and 

(7) Ukraine, where over 600 religious buildings have 

been damaged or destroyed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country began in February 2022: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes religious freedom as a funda3 mental human right; 


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•SRES 52 IS 

1 (2) recognizes the critical importance of reli2 gious freedom in— 

3 (A) supporting democracy, good govern4 ance, and the rule of law; 

5 (B) encouraging pluralism and robust po6 litical participation; and 

7 (C) fostering global stability and peace; 

8 (3) expresses grave concern over threats to reli9 gious freedom around the world, such as through 

10 harassment, violence, and imprisonment; 

11 (4) condemns all efforts to suppress religious 

12 freedom, including through the criminalization of— 

13 (A) religious exercise in public or private; 

14 (B) the choice to have no faith; 

15 (C) conversion from one religion to an16 other; 

17 (D) advocacy for religious freedom; 

18 (E) sharing and spreading religious mes19 sages and educational materials; and 

20 (F) construction and maintenance of reli21 gious holy sites; 

22 (5) supports the invaluable work of religious 

23 freedom advocates in fighting for greater religious 

24 freedom around the world; and 

25 (6) urges the Department of State to— 


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1 (A) continue robust bilateral and multilat2 eral engagement with allies and partners on re3 ligious freedom; 

4 (B) maintain and expand support for 

5 human rights activists, journalists, and civil so6 ciety leaders working to protect religious free7 dom in countries of particular concern and Spe8 cial Watch List countries; 

9 (C) leverage all diplomatic and sanctions 

10 tools available to the United States Government 

11 to hold religious freedom violators accountable 

12 for their actions, including those authorized by 

13 the International Religious Freedom Act of 

14 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.); 

15 (D) continue to impose sanctions on those 

16 responsible for violations of religious freedom 

17 pursuant to the Global Magnitsky Human 

18 Rights Act (22 U.S.C. 2656 note); 

19 (E) consider human rights abuses and reli20 gious freedom violations in prioritizing partners 

21 for free trade agreements; and 

22 (F) promote religious freedom as an ut23 most priority for the United States in imple24 mentation of United States foreign policy. 

Æ 


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