US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson alleged on Wednesday that religious freedom was “under attack in Pakistan, where more than two dozen people were on death row or serving a life imprisonment for blasphemy”.
Tillerson made the comments at the US State Department while introducing the agency’s annual report on religious freedom, required by a 1998 Act of Congress. The report is the first to be released during the Trump administration and covers 2016.
“It is my hope that the new Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and his government will promote interfaith harmony and protect the rights of religious minorities,” Tillerson said.
In 2016, violence committed by armed sectarian groups connected to outfits banned by the government, as well as abuses by individuals and groups designated as terrorist organisations by the US and other governments continued, the report said. The report also highlighted attacks in India by cow protection groups against people accused of bovine trafficking or having beef in their refrigerators or vehicles.
The chapter on India stated that in 2016, “there was an increase in violent incidents by cow protection groups against mostly Muslims, including killings, mob violence, assaults and intimidation”.
Tillerson said US allies including Saudi Arabia and Bahrain did not uphold principles of religious freedom in 2016, while Daesh has carried out “genocide” against religious minorities.
Tillerson said that in Turkey, a NATO ally, “authorities continued to limit the human rights of members of some religious minority groups.” American pastor Andrew Brunson has been jailed in Turkey since October on charges of being part of a terrorist organization, according to news reports.
Tillerson said Iran targeted religious minorities and in 2016 executed 20 people on charges including “waging war against God.” He also called out China and Sudan in his remarks.
