Right to Religious Freedom Is Prohibited in Five Asian Countries

The U.S. Department of State has recognized five Asian countries-China, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and North Korea- as the states without religious freedom and require special attention.

In the 2003 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, the U.S. Department of State also described North Korea as the regime in which genuine religious freedom does not exist, and reports of executions, torture, and imprisonment of religious people have continued to emerge.

Aside from the five Asian countries, the 2003 annual report also picked Cuba as the most worrisome country where totalitarian or authoritarian attempts to control religious beliefs or practices are manifest. This regime regards religion as the enemy of the state.

The report revealed that Chinese government has closed underground mosques and temples as well as some Catholic and Protestant churches. Many religious leaders who have been protesting the government’s crackdown have been detained and arrested. The government also continued its repression of Falun Gong, citing it as the religion of iconolatry.

Among Middle Eastern countries, Iran and Saudi Arabia were identified to exercise the most repressive measures against religious groups.

maypole@donga.com