The United States included this Friday Cuba Already Nicaragua on its blacklist of countries that systematically violate the freedom religiousleading to possible sanctions against these nations.
In the list of Countries of Special Concern, prepared annually by the State Department, they repeat this year China, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Burma, Eritrea, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
The inclusion of Cuba and Nicaragua represents another step in the deterioration of the relations of the Government of Joe Biden with that of Miguel Diaz-Canel of Havana and that of Daniel Ortega from Managua.
At a second level of concern, the United States placed Algeria, the Central African Republic, Comoros and Vietnam.
The list of organizations that violate religious freedom includes, among others, the terrorist groups Al Shabab, Boko Haram and the Islamic State (IS), as well as the Taliban, the Yemeni Houthis and the Russian paramilitaries of the Wagner Group.
The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 obliges the US government to draw up an annual list of countries in the world that commit “serious violations of religious freedom,” such as torture, detention and forced disappearance of people for their beliefs.
The countries included in the list are subject to possible sanctions such as the cancellation of scientific and cultural exchanges, the suspension of development assistance, the blocking of loans or export restrictions.
The Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, promised in a statement that his country “will not stand idly by” in the face of religious persecution.
He criticized that the repression against people for their beliefs “sows division and undermines political and economic stability and peace.”
“We will continue to carefully monitor religious freedom around the world, defending those who suffer persecution and discrimination,” said the US foreign minister.
(With information from EFE)
Keep reading:
The United States sanctioned the Nicaraguan Directorate of Mines and an adviser to Daniel Ortega
Biden extended the emergency decree that declares Nicaragua a threat to the security of the United States
Source-www.infobae.com