For decades, the Lautenberg-Specter program has provided a pathway for members of oppressed religious groups, including Christians, Jews, and Baha’is, with close family ties to the United States to escape persecution in Iran and the former Soviet states. By offering refuge to those fleeing religious persecution, the Lautenberg-Specter program underscores our nation’s leadership in defending religious freedom.

On this episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast, Chair Vicky Hartzler speaks with Mark Hetfield, President of HIAS, about the Lautenberg-Specter program.

Youth play a crucial role in promoting religious freedom in Africa by advocating for greater religious literacy, inclusivity, and understanding. In East Africa, young people face challenges to religious freedom. The Youth Tolerance Committee (YTC), a non-governmental organization based in Kenya and Tanzania, addresses these challenges head-on across the region, with the fundamental goal that communities and government respect all religions or beliefs and hear every voice.

On today’s episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast, Commissioner Steve Schneck speaks with YTC leaders to explore the religious dynamics affecting Kenyans and other East Africans, the vital role youth play in advancing religious freedom, and concrete opportunities for action to address these issues.

In June 2025, USCIRF commissioners traveled to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to assess religious freedom conditions. During the delegation, USCIRF confirmed that both governments continue to arbitrarily apply a broad and vague legislative framework to target peaceful religious activities of independent Muslims and religious minorities. In its 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State place Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan on the Special Watch List for severe violations of religious freedom.

On today’s episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast, Chair Vicky Hartzler, Vice Chair Asif Mahmood, and Commissioner Mohamed Elsanousi share in more detail findings from their recent travels.

Read USCIRF’s Kazakhstan Country Update and Kyrgyzstan Country Update to learn more about USCIRF’s 2025 delegation to Central Asia.

On this episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast, Commissioner Stephen Schneck is joined by Mariam Wahba, an Egypt expert and Research Analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Mariam has written extensively on the Egyptian government’s targeting of Egypt’s indigenous Coptic Christian community, and will elaborate on specific laws, policies, and judicial decisions that are repressing a range of other religious minority communities, including Jews, Baha’is, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Qur’anists, nonbelievers and members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light.

Since 2012, USCIRF has recommended Tajikistan for designation as a Country of Particular Concern for the government’s egregious, ongoing, and systematic violations of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). Among the particularly severe violations of religious freedom occurring in the country, the Tajik government regularly detains and imprisons individuals for their peaceful religious activities based on arbitrary “extremism” charges. FoRB victims largely include independent Muslims who deviate from the state’s preferred interpretation of Hanafi Sunni Islam. Other FoRB victims have included Ismaili Shi’a Muslims. Recently, Muzzafar Davlatmirov, a prominent Pamiri Ismaili Shi’a Muslim cleric who was imprisoned in 2022, died in custody while serving his sentence.



On this episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast, Vice Chair Asif Mahmood speaks with Bakh Safarov, founder of Central Asia Consulting, about FoRB Victims in Tajikistan, including the situation of Pamiri Ismaili Shi’a Muslims.

Pakistan’s Ahmadiyya Muslim community continues to be severely and systematically persecuted by the government. The Pakistani government has enacted a series of discriminatory laws and ordinances that restrict Ahmadiyya Muslims’ ability to observe their faith, including identifying as Muslim. In the first half of 2025, spikes in targeted violence against the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Pakistan have contributed to a growing climate of fear. Authorities have increasingly prevented Ahmadiyya Muslims from sacrificing animals during Eid and have conducted “preventative arrests” ahead of the religious holiday.

On today’s episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast, USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schenck speaks with Amjad Khan, a lawyer and spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, on the current situation for Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan.

With Contributions from:

Veronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Specialist, USCIRF

Cuba and Nicaragua have ranked among the world’s most repressive governments toward religious freedom for years. In 2025, exiles and civil society organizations reported continuing severe restrictions on religious communities, including the banning of religious processions, surveillance and harassment of clergy, and legal constriction of religious groups. In some regards, the level of repression is escalating, considering indicators such as the re-imprisonment in June of a freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) victim previously released in January and the deaths of two religious freedom defenders in Nicaraguan custody in August. USCIRF has designated both nations as Countries of Particular Concern since its 2023 Annual Report.

On this episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast, Commissioner Maureen Ferguson speaks with Anna Lee Stangl, joint Director of Advocacy and Latin America team leader at Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), about the violations facing religious communities in Cuba and Nicaragua.

Read USCIRF's 2025 Annual Report Chapters on Cuba and Nicaragua.

With Contributions from:

Veronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Specialist, USCIRF

The Eritrean government does not recognize religious communities other than the Tewahedo Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Evangelical Lutheran churches, along with Sunni Islam. As a result, there are dozens religious minorities including Jehovah’s Witnesses (including several religious leaders), Baptists, and Pentecostals currently incarcerated in Eritrea. Authorities pressure prisoners to renounce their faith and ban praying aloud, singing, preaching, and possessing religious books. In 1994, police abducted Jehovah’s Witness Negede Teklemariam for “conscientiously objecting to performing compulsory military service.” He remained in prison for 26 years without being formally charged. The government finally released him in 2020. In its 2025 annual report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate Eritrea as a Country of Particular Concern.

On today’s episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast, USCIRF Supervisory Policy Analyst Scott Weiner speaks with former Eritrean religious prisoner of conscience Negede Teklemariam about his experience being imprisoned for exercising his freedom of religion or belief. Scott is also joined by John McEachin of the Jehovah’s Witnesses as he discusses the general status of the Eritrean Witnesses community and possible policy changes that might offer them some relief.

Read USCIRF’s 2025 Annual Report Chapter on Eritrea and USCIRF’s most recent Eritrea Country Update.