USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Freedom in Burma

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released the following report: 

Burma Country Update – In 2024, the situation in Burma continues to deteriorate as the military junta loses control while ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) are consolidating territory and establishing parallel government structures. These escalating conflicts negatively affect conditions for freedom of religion or belief. This report highlights military and political developments within Burma, attacks on religious communities, conditions for various refugee populations—including the predominately Muslim Rohingya—outside the country, and the global response to this conflict.

In its 2024 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State redesignate Burma as a “Country of Particular Concern,” or CPC, for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). In February 2023, USCIRF held a hearing that explored the extent to which the coup has worsened conditions for religious minorities, and the severity of its effect on religious refugees who have fled into neighboring countries.