Targeted Sanctions as a Key U.S. Foreign Policy Tool to Promote Religious Freedom

Targeted Sanctions as a Key U.S. Foreign Policy Tool to Promote Religious Freedom

Washington, DC - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released the following report on targeted sanctions:

Targeted Sanctions in Response to Violations of International Religious Freedom - Targeted sanctions are a vital U.S. foreign policy tool for promoting accountability for violations of religious freedom. Measures such as denying U.S. visas and freezing U.S.-based assets aim to influence behavior and demonstrate that the U.S. government will not tolerate such abuses. In addition to the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998, other laws provide tools to sanction individual perpetrators, including the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act of 2016 and the Immigration and Nationality Act. This factsheet outlines these relevant authorities and their application in countries such as Afghanistan, China, India, and Nicaragua, examining the role of targeted human rights sanctions within broader U.S. foreign policy efforts to advance religious freedom.

In its 2026 Annual Report, USCIRF urged the administration to apply its new global visa restriction policy related to religious freedom violations with a particular focus on countries USCIRF recommends for designation as Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs) and placement on the Special Watch List (SWL). Given the strength of these tools, USCIRF further recommended the use of targeted sanctions in response to particularly severe or severe religious freedom violations in many of the countries that USCIRF recommends for these designations.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].