Stories by State Newswire on Federal Newswire


Release: The constitution stipulates everyone is free to choose his or her faith. It makes the state responsible for “protecting the religious…interests of the people" and establishes Roman Catholicism as the state religion. The constitution stipulates individuals may practice other religious faiths within the ...


Release: The constitution provides for the right, individually or jointly with others, to adhere to any religion or to no religion, and to participate in religious customs and ceremonies. The constitution states, “Religious associations shall be separate from the state and shall not interfere in state affairs."...


News Release: U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will deliver on-camera remarks for the release of the 2021 International Religious Freedom Report on Thursday, June 2, 2022, at 11:30 a.m. in the Benjamin Franklin Room at the U.S. Department of State.


2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Luxembourg

Release: The constitution provides for freedom of religion, including the right to practice one’s religious beliefs and express one’s religious opinions in public, and it prohibits compulsory participation in religious services or observance of religious groups’ days of rest. At year’s end, the European Court ...


2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Monaco

Release: The constitution guarantees freedom of religion and its public expression and prohibits compelling participation in religious ceremonies. Roman Catholicism is the state religion, and state ceremonies often include Catholic rituals. Religious groups must apply to the government to build a public place ...


2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Honduras

Release: The constitution provides for the free exercise of all religions. Religious organizations may register as legal entities classified as religious associations and thereby acquire tax-exempt status and other government benefits. On Sept. 30, the Inter-Ecclesiastical Forum (FIH) - an evangelical Protestant...


News Release: In the three months since it launched its unprovoked and brutal further invasion of Ukraine, Russia has consistently failed to meet its strategic objectives. The Kremlin has succeeded only in devastating communities, brutalizing civilians, disrupting Ukraine’s agriculture, and threatening global food security by blocking Ukrainian ports. The will of Ukraine’s courageous forces to defend their country is admirable, and Ukraine has shown it will never be subjugated to Russia.


Release: Area Administered by Turkish Cypriots. The government of the Republic of Cyprus is the only internationally recognized government on the island, but since 1974 the northern third of Cyprus has been administered by Turkish Cypriots. This area proclaimed itself the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" ...


2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Kyrgyz Republic

Release: The constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and religion and bans religious groups from undertaking actions inciting religious hatred. It establishes the separation of religion and state and prohibits pursuit of political goals by religious groups. The law requires all religious groups to register...


2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Montenegro

Release: The constitution provides for freedom of religion as well as the right to change one’s religion. It specifies there is no state religion and stipulates equality and freedom for all religious communities. The law prohibits religious discrimination and hate speech. On Jan. 26, amendments to the law ...


2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Maldives

Release: The constitution designates Islam as the state religion, requires citizens to be Muslim, and requires public office holders, including the President, to be followers of Sunni Islam. The constitution provides for limitations on rights and freedoms “to protect and maintain the tenets of Islam." The law...


Release: The constitution grants the freedom to profess and practice any religious belief but prohibits religious activities directed against the sovereignty of the state, its constitutional system, and “civic harmony." A concordat grants the Belarusian Orthodox Church (BOC) rights and privileges not granted ...


DOS-MKD offers new grant application process starting June 2

FY2022 U.S. Embassy Skopje Media Training Program grant opened on June 2.


2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Ukraine—Crimea

Release: In February 2014, armed forces of the Russian Federation seized and occupied Crimea. In March 2014, Russia claimed that Crimea had become part of the Russian Federation. The UN General Assembly’s Resolution 68/262 of March 27, 2014, entitled “Territorial Integrity of Ukraine," and Resolution 75/192 of ...


DOS-OES offers new grant application process starting June 2

Air Quality Management Community of Practice in Maritime Southeast Asia grant opened on June 2.


2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Estonia

Release: The constitution declares there is no state church and protects the freedom of individuals to practice their religion. It prohibits the incitement of religious hatred, violence, or discrimination. The law establishes registration of religious associations and religious societies and regulates their activities.


News Release: Mr. Francisco Palmieri, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, will serve as Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim, at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, upon the departure of Ambassador Philip Goldberg. Ambassador Goldberg is expected to assume duties as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea later this summer following his May 5 Senate confirmation.


2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Nepal

Release: The constitution establishes the country as a “secular state" but defines secular as “protection of religion and culture handed down from the time immemorial." It provides for the right to profess and practice one’s own religion. The constitution prohibits converting persons from one religion to another...


Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with UN Secretary-General Guterres

Release: The below is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price.


2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Mexico

Release: The constitution provides all persons the right to religious freedom, including the right to engage in religious ceremonies and acts of worship. The constitution declares the country a secular state. Under the constitution, indigenous communities enjoy a protected legal structure, allowing them some...