[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]
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