[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 13, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2718-2719]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00556]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 11289]


Secretary of State's Determinations 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 December 2, 2020, the Secretary of State, under 
authority delegated by the President, has designated each of the 
following as

[[Page 2719]]

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, the Democratic People's Republic of 
Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and 
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 or detection instruments or equipment, under the Foreign 
Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991 (Pub. L. 101-
246), 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), and 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 Nigeria, a waiver as required in the ``important national 
interest of the United States,'' pursuant to section 407 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 Tajikistan, a waiver as required in the ``important national 
interest of the United States,'' pursuant to section 407 of the Act; 
and
    For Turkmenistan, a waiver as required in the ``important national 
interest of the United States,'' pursuant to section 407 of the Act.
    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, Cuba, 
Nicaragua, and Russia.
    The Secretary of State's designation of ``entities of particular 
concern'' for religious freedom violations. Pursuant to Section 408(a) 
of the Act, notice is hereby given that, on December 2, 2020, the 
Secretary of State, under authority delegated by the President, has 
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-Shabaab, al-Qa'ida, Boko 
Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Houthis, ISIS, ISIS-Greater Sahara, 
ISIS-West Africa, Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, and the Taliban.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Burns, Office of International 
Religious Freedom, U.S. Department of State, (phone: 202-647-3865 or 
email: [email protected]).

Zachary A. Parker,
Director, Office of Directives Management, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2021-00556 Filed 1-12-21; 8:45 am]
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