News from May 2018
By DOJ Newswire | May 29, 2018
News Release: FRESNO, Calif. - Seth Adam Depiano, 37, formerly of Clovis, was sentenced on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to 12 years and seven months in prison following his guilty pleas to mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering charges, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
By State Newswire | May 29, 2018
News Release: The constitution provides for freedom of conscience and religious belief and practice, including worship. It prohibits discrimination based on religion. Laws prohibit actions that incite religious hatred and violence. In June the parliament unanimously passed legislation outlawing childhood marriage,...
By State Newswire | May 29, 2018
News 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...
By State Newswire | May 29, 2018
Release: The Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, a supplementary document to the constitution, guarantees the freedom of religious conviction and states every individual has the right to change religion, abstain from religious belief, and freely practice religion. Two registration applications by religious ...
By State Newswire | May 29, 2018
News Release: The constitution prohibits religious discrimination and guarantees freedom of religion and religious expression. It provides for equality before the law for all individuals regardless of religious belief. Five religious groups are cited by name in the constitution; other religious groups may register...
By State Newswire | May 29, 2018
Release: The constitution provides for “complete freedom of religion," separation of church and state, and equality for all regardless of religion. It prohibits persecution based on religion. Laws and policies grant the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) privileges not accorded to any other religious group, including ...
By State Newswire | May 29, 2018
News Release: The constitution and other laws prohibit religious discrimination and provide for freedom of religion and worship. In contrast with the previous year, there were no reported arrests or shootings of Muslims or Muslim leaders, and Muslim community leaders reported effective collaboration with police and...
By State Newswire | May 29, 2018
News Release: The constitution provides for freedom of religion as well as the right to change, manifest, and propagate the religion of one’s choice. Starting in January the government officially recognized marriages conducted under Rastafarian rites. Rastafarians said they continued to be reluctant to use marijuana...
By State Newswire | May 29, 2018
News Release: The constitution describes freedom of belief as “absolute" and specifies Islam as the state religion. It also enshrines the principles of sharia as the primary source of legislation, which local lawyers stated creates potential legal ambiguities with regard to the freedom of belief guaranteed in the...
By State Newswire | May 29, 2018
Release: The constitution provides for freedom of individuals to manifest their religion or belief and prohibits religious discrimination. In accordance with the constitution, the government continued to offer the Catholic Church privileges not available to other religious groups. The government permitted ritual ...
By State Newswire | May 29, 2018
News Release: The constitution states that the country is secular, prohibits religious discrimination, provides for freedom of religion, bans the use of religion for political ends, and stipulates impositions on freedom of conscience stemming from “religious fanaticism" shall be punishable by law. A government decree bans individuals from wearing full-face Islamic veils in public.
By State Newswire | May 29, 2018
Release: The constitution specifies the state is secular and protects the rights of all citizens to exercise their religious beliefs, consistent with the nation’s laws. Religious groups other than Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Muslims must register with the government. The government again did not approve...
By State Newswire | May 29, 2018
Release: The constitution provides for freedom of conscience and religious belief and practice, including worship. It prohibits discrimination based on religion. Laws prohibit actions that incite religious hatred and violence. In June the parliament unanimously passed legislation outlawing childhood marriage...
By State Newswire | May 29, 2018
Release: The constitution states the state is secular, prohibits religious discrimination, and provides for the right of individuals to choose and profess their religion. The Secretariat of Religious Affairs (SRA) continued to issue weekly themes for inclusion in Friday sermons at mosques and Sunday sermons in...
By State Newswire | May 29, 2018
News Release: The constitution provides for freedom of religious belief and affiliation and states the country is not bound to any particular faith. In March the requirement for registering a new religious group rose to 50,000 adherents from 20,000 following a parliamentary vote overturning a previous presidential...
By State Newswire | May 29, 2018
News Release: Reports on Hong Kong, Macau, and Tibet are appended at the end of this report.
By State Newswire | May 29, 2018
News Release: The constitution grants freedom to practice, worship, and assemble for religious services. The law does not require registration of religious groups. A religious group, however, must register to be eligible for specific benefits such as recognition of clergy as marriage officers and tax exemptions. The constitution requires “the Sabbath," which the government takes to mean as Sunday, be “kept holy," and no business may be conducted on that day except that permitted by law.
By State Newswire | May 29, 2018
Release: In February 2014 Russian military forces occupied Crimea. United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262, adopted on March 27, 2014, and entitled “Territorial Integrity of Ukraine," states the Autonomous Republic of Crimea remains internationally recognized as within Ukraine’s international borders. The U.S. government does not recognize the purported annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and considers Crimea still to be a part of Ukraine.
By State Newswire | May 29, 2018
Release: The constitution defines the country as a secular state and provides for freedom of religion. The Committee for Religious Affairs (CRA), part of the Ministry of Religious and Civil Society Affairs (MRCSA), is responsible for religious issues. According to local and international observers, authorities...
By DOJ Newswire | May 29, 2018
News Release: ALBUQUERQUE - Elmira Curley, 22, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Navajo, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 120 months in prison for her conviction on assault and child abuse charges. Curley will be on supervised release for five years after completing her prison sentence.
