State Newswire News
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: El Salvador
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution provides for freedom of religion and states all persons are equal before the law. It prohibits discrimination based on religion. The constitution grants automatic official recognition to the Roman Catholic Church and states other religious groups may apply for official recognition through registration.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Ghana
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution prohibits religious discrimination, stipulates individuals are free to profess and practice their religion, and does not designate a state religion. Registration is required for religious groups to have legal status.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Cuba
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution contains written provisions for religious freedom and prohibitions against discrimination based on religious grounds; however, provisions in the penal and administrative codes contravene these protections. The constitution declares the country a secular state and provides for the separation...
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Malawi
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution prohibits discrimination based on religion and provides for freedom of conscience, religion, belief, and thought.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Botswana
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution provides for freedom of religion, with certain exceptions, and for protection against governmental discrimination based on creed. It also provides for freedom of thought and religion, the right to change religion or belief, and the right to manifest and propagate religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice, and observance.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Djibouti
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution establishes Islam as the state religion but mandates equality for persons of all faiths. Religious groups must register with the government, which conducts lengthy background checks as part of the registration process. Foreign religious workers must obtain a work permit and purchase annual residency cards.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Antigua and Barbuda
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution provides for freedom of thought and religion, as well as the right to practice and change one’s religion or belief. The law decriminalizing marijuana for any use also recognizes the government’s responsibility to uphold the religious rights of persons of the Hindu and Rastafari faiths.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Republic of the Congo
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution provides for freedom of religion and prohibits discrimination based on religious belief. The law regulates the establishment and operation of religious groups. By law, eight major religious groups are charged with electing the head of the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI).
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Benin
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution establishes a secular state and provides for freedom of religious thought, expression, and practice. The law bans forms of expression that incite discrimination, hatred, or violence against an individual or a group of persons based on their religion. The law also bans any expression...
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Uruguay
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution provides for freedom of religion and affirms the state does not endorse any specific religion. Legal statutes prohibit discrimination based on religion.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Japan
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution provides for freedom of religion and prohibits religious organizations from exercising any political authority or receiving privileges from the state. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs (ACA), there are approximately 180,000 registered religious organizations with corporate status that received government tax benefits.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Costa Rica
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution recognizes Roman Catholicism as the state religion; the law requires the state to contribute to the Catholic Church’s maintenance. The constitution prohibits the state from impeding the free exercise of religions that does not impugn “universal morality or proper behavior," and it provides for redress in cases of alleged violations of religious freedom.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Paraguay
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution accords individuals the right to choose, change, and freely practice their religion and prohibits religious discrimination. It specifically recognizes the right of Indigenous communities to express their religions freely. The constitution states the relationship between the state and the Roman Catholic Church is based on “independence, cooperation, and autonomy.".
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: South Africa
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution provides for freedom of religion and belief and prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion. The government does not require religious groups to register; however, registered groups receive tax-exempt status.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Mauritania
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution defines the country as an Islamic republic and designates Islam as the sole religion of the citizenry and state. The law prohibits blasphemy and apostasy and defines them as crimes punishable by death; however, the government has never applied the death penalty for these crimes.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: China—Hong Kong
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), as well as other laws and policies, states that residents have freedom of conscience, freedom of religious belief, and freedom to preach, conduct, and participate in religious activities in public. The Bill of Rights Ordinance incorporates...
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Tuvalu
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution provides for the freedom to change religion or belief and the freedom to show and spread religious belief through worship, teaching, observance, or practice. The law designates the Ekalesia A Kelisiano Tuvalu (Congregational Christian Church of Tuvalu, or EKT) as the state church and...
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Indonesia
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution provides a guarantee of freedom of religion and the right to worship according to one’s own beliefs, but it states that citizens must accept restrictions established by law to protect the rights of others and to satisfy “just demands based upon considerations of morality, religious values,...
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Singapore
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution, laws, and policies provide for religious freedom, subject to restrictions relating to public order, public health, and morality. The constitution requires the government to protect the interests of Malays as “the Indigenous people of Singapore," including religious interests. The government...
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: The Gambia
By State Newswire | May 16, 2023
Release: The constitution provides for the freedom of religious choice as long as it does not impinge on the rights of others or the national interest. The constitution prohibits religious discrimination, establishment of a state religion, and formation of political parties based on religious affiliation.