[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 245 (Friday, December 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 65782]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-27632]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice: 10635]


Secretary of State's Determination Under the International 
Religious Freedom Act of 1998 and Frank R. Wolf International Religious 
Freedom Act of 2016

    The Secretary of State's designation of ``countries of particular 
concern'' and ``special watch list'' countries for religious freedom 
violations pursuant to Section 408(a) of the International Religious 
Freedom Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-292), as amended (the Act). Notice is 
hereby given that, on November 28, 2018, the Secretary of State, under 
authority delegated by the President, designated each of the following 
as a ``country of particular concern'' (CPC) under section 402(b) of 
the Act, for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe 
violations of religious freedom: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, the 
Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, 
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan. The Secretary simultaneously designated the 
following Presidential Actions for these CPCs:
    For Burma, the existing ongoing restrictions referenced in 22 CFR 
126.1, pursuant to section 402(c)(5) of the Act;
    For China, the existing ongoing restriction on exports to China of 
crime control and detection instruments and equipment, under the 
Foreign Relations Authorization Act of 1990 and 1991 (Pub. L. 101-246), 
pursuant to section 402(c)(5) of the Act;
    For Eritrea, the existing ongoing restrictions referenced in 22 CFR 
126.1, pursuant to section 402(c)(5) of the Act;
    For Iran, the existing ongoing travel restrictions in section 
221(c) of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 
(TRA) for individuals identified under section 221(a)(1)(C) of the TRA 
in connection with the commission of serious human rights abuses, 
pursuant to section 402(c)(5) of the Act;
    For the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the existing ongoing 
restrictions to which the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is 
subject, pursuant to sections 402 and 409 of the Trade Act of 1974 (the 
Jackson-Vanik Amendment), pursuant to section 402(c)(5) of the Act;
    For Pakistan, a waiver as required in the ``important national 
interest of the United States,'' pursuant to section 407 of the Act;
    For Saudi Arabia, a waiver as required in the ``important national 
interest of the United States,'' pursuant to section 407 of the Act;
    For Sudan, the restriction in the annual Department of State, 
Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act on making 
certain appropriated funds available for assistance to the Government 
of Sudan, currently set forth in section 7042(i) of the Department of 
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 
2018 (Div. K, Pub. L. 115-141), and any provision of law that is the 
same or substantially the same as this provision, pursuant to section 
402(c)(5) of the Act;
    For Tajikistan, a waiver as required in the ``important national 
interest of the United States,'' pursuant to section 407 of the Act;
    For Turkmenistan, a waiver as required in the ``important national 
interest of the United States,'' pursuant to section 407 of the Act; 
and
    In addition, the Secretary of State has designated the following 
countries as ``special watch list'' countries for engaging in or 
tolerating severe violations of religious freedom: Comoros, Russia, and 
Uzbekistan.
    The Secretary of State's designation of ``entities of particular 
concern'' for religious freedom, pursuant to Section 408(a) of the 
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-292). Notice 
is hereby given that, on November 28, 2018, the Secretary of State, 
under authority delegated by the President, designated each of the 
following as an entity of particular concern'' under section 301 of the 
Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2016 (Pub. L. 114-
281), for having engaged in particularly severe violations of religious 
freedom: al-Nusra Front, al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula, al-Qa'ida, 
al-Shabab, Boko Haram, the Houthis, ISIS, ISIS-Khorasan, and the 
Taliban.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Howard Chyung, Office of International 
Religious Freedom, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. 
Department of State, (Phone: (202) 647-3865 or Email: 
[email protected]).

Daniel L. Nadel,
Director, Office of International Religious Freedom, Department of 
State.
[FR Doc. 2018-27632 Filed 12-20-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4710-18-P