The USA included Azerbaijan in the Religious Freedom Watch List due to the threat to the holy places in Artsakh

The United States has placed Azerbaijan on its Religious Freedom Watch List for engaging in or tolerating serious violations of religious freedom after taking control of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced yesterday that in addition to Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic, Comoros and Vietnam were also included in the list.

This official decision by Washington followed the concerns raised by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom regarding the preservation of Christian shrines in Nagorno Karabakh.

On September 19-20, 2023, as a result of Azerbaijan’s military aggression in Nagorno-Karabakh, almost the entire Armenian population of Artsakh, about 105 thousand people, was forced to leave Armenia.

The US commission has also raised concerns about regulations on religious activities in the Muslim-majority country led by Ilham Aliyev, including requirements for registration of religious organizations and official approval of their literature.

Blinken also said that in addition to the “special watch list”, 12 other countries are of “particular concern” in terms of religious freedom: Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia , Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. There are no changes in this list compared to last year.